The Bate Collection

15/10/2026

Director and Curator, Dr Emanuela Vai featured in Gramophone Magazine discussing the curation of the permanent exhibition 'Resonant Histories: Material Culture, Sound, and Craft" The Bate Collection

The exhibition explores musical instruments bringing their cultural significance and musical heritage to life, and offering visitors new perspectives on the collection and the stories its instruments hold.
Read the full article here: https://www.gramophone.co.uk/content/blogs/resonant-histories-exploring-the-bate-collections-new-home

Faculty of History TORCH - The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities Worcester College, Oxford University of Oxford

07/09/2026

The Bate at ICOM MUSIC Annual Meeting at the The University of Edinburgh, with our Curator and Head of Collection Emanuela Vai Worcester College, Oxford opening with her research on “Marvellous Musical Instruments of the Renaissance: A Digital Humanities Approach,” drawing on her work funded by European Commission

Bringing together academic research and digital tools, the paper offered new perspectives on the study and interpretation of Renaissance material culture and its circulation.
Thanks to the organisers St Cecilia's Hall: Concert Room & Music Museum especially Sarah Deters, and all members of her team, for hosting us in a beautiful venue, and of course to all colleagues from around the world for sharing their work.

The University of Edinburgh ICOM MUSIC ICOM MUSIC Faculty of History Faculty of Music, University of Oxford TORCH - The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities Ashmolean Museum Oxford Mail University of Oxford

history

07/09/2026

The Bate at ICOM MUSIC Annual Meeting at the The University of Edinburgh, with our Curator and Head of Collection Emanuela Vai opening with her research on “Marvellous Musical Instruments of the Renaissance: A Digital Humanities Approach,” drawing on her work funded by European Commission

Bringing together academic research and digital tools, the paper offered new perspectives on the study and interpretation of Renaissance material culture and its circulation.

Thanks to the organisers St Cecilia's Hall: Concert Room & Music Museum Friends of St Cecilia’s Hall and Museum especially Sarah Deters and all members of the team for hosting us in a beautiful venue, and to all colleagues from around the world for sharing their work.

The University of Edinburgh ICOM MUSIC Faculty of History Faculty of Music, University of Oxford TORCH - The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities Ashmolean Museum Oxford Mail University of Oxford

history

07/09/2026

It was wonderful to welcome Ulysses Wells to the Bate Collection on Thursday for an impromptu recital!

Thank you Ulysses for sharing your music with us and bringing a little live music into the collection!

07/09/2026

It was wonderful to have Ulysses Wells drop by the Bate Collection on Thursday last week for a little impromptu recital.

Thank you Ulysses, for bringing your music to the museum ! We hope to welcome you back soon.

01/09/2026

We asked visitors what they thought of the new Bate Collection! Have you been? What did you think?

27/08/2026

The viola da gamba roughly translates as 'viol of the leg' and refers to the way in which the instrument is played. The viol has frets like a guitar, gut strings, sloped shoulders and a flat back.

19/08/2026

😂😂 The only colours we have here are acid free white and plastazote black.

Meet the Ud (Oud).

It is a pear-shaped, plucked string instrument with a rounded, bowl-shaped back and a wooden soundboard.

Its name comes from the Arabic al-'ud, meaning ' wood', possibly a referring to the wooden soundboard or the thin strips of wood used to make it's rounded body. It is a term that is thought to have distinguished it from instruments made from animal skin.

The oud is closely related to the European lute. The two instruments share a common history, and the oud influenced the development of the European lute.

This particular instrument was made in Lebanon by Bedrossian in the 20th century.

24/07/2026

https://www.worc.ox.ac.uk/news-events/news/royal-visit-to-new-bate-collection-exhibition

University of Oxford TORCH - The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities Bodleian Libraries Ashmolean Museum ICOM MUSIC European Commission Oxford Alumni

His Majesty King Charles III recently visited the Bate Collection of Musical Instruments, where he toured a new permanent exhibition, Resonant Histories: Material Culture, Sound and Craft, curated by Worcester’s Senior Research Fellow and Head of Research (Humanities), Dr Emanuela Vai.

12/07/2026

A Royal Visit to the Bate Collection!
We were delighted to welcome His Majesty King Charles III to the Bate, with representatives Head of GLAM (Gardens, Libraries and Museums), (Chair of Faculty Board & Heather Chair) and (Head of Collections & Curator) Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities
From rare keyboards to beautifully crafted instruments with fascinating histories, the visit was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the Bate Collection and the important role museums play in preserving and sharing our music heritage.
It was an honour to welcome His Majesty, and we extend our thanks to everyone who helped make this memorable occasion possible.
University of Oxford Faculty of Music, University of Oxford Faculty of History Bodleian Libraries Ashmolean Museum Pitt Rivers Museum History of Science Museum Oxford University Museum of Natural History Balliol College, Oxford TORCH - The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities .in.uk