My doctoral research explores the intersections between musicology and performance practice in Russian piano music, with a particular focus on the textural relationships between pianistic and orchestral writing in the works of Sergei Prokofiev. Currently specialising in Prokofiev studies, I combine multifaceted analytical examination of relevant source materials with practical inquiry at the piano to show how orchestration and timbre can inform and contribute to the performance practice surrounding his piano oeuvre.

Beyond my doctoral subject, my wider interests grow out of my performance, research, and teaching practices. They span piano music scholarship, performance practices, music analysis, orchestration, 20th-century music and its artistic crosscurrents, as well as questions of nationality and identity in music. I am particularly drawn to artistic research and practice-led projects that interrogate performance and scholarship through innovative methodologies and disruptive enquiry. My interests also extend to education research, especially in relation to piano pedagogy, aural and musicianship studies.

Conference organisation

In addition to my research, I have a strong interest in the organisation of academic conferences and research events. I was a co-organiser of the past conference Piano Music of the 20th Century: Interrogating Performance and Research (Royal College of Music, 15 December 2025), a one-day event which brought together postgraduate, doctoral, and postdoctoral researchers alongside internationally recognised performers and scholars. Supported by the Royal Musical Association, the Music & Letters Trust, and The City of London Phonograph and Gramophone Society, the conference featured several presentations, lecture-recitals, a keynote by pianist Ralph van Raat, and a roundtable discussion with leading voices in the field. For more information about this conference, please visit: https://www.rcm.ac.uk/research/20cpiano/

More recently, I acted as Conference Coordinator for the Beethoven Summit '26 (https://www.beethovensummit.org), a four-day conference devoted to exploring Beethoven’s music through performance alongside the latest research in historical practice. Organised by the International Centre for Contemporary Music, the Summit brought together internationally renowned scholars, performers, and ensembles through lectures, panel discussions, historically informed performances, and concerts centred on the composer's music and legacy.

Publications and Conferences

Publications

Lucas, Nuno. ‘Prokofiev’s Pianists: Reflections on Current Performance Practice.’ In Serge Prokofiev: Interrogating Sources, Evaluating Heritage, edited by Christina Guillaumier and Nicolas Moron. Routledge. (Forthcoming)

Conferences

Lucas, Nuno. ‘Beyond Iron and Steel: Unveiling Texture in Prokofiev’s Second Symphony.’ Paper presented at ‘Positioning Prokofiev in the 21st Century and Beyond’ Symposium, Columbia University, New York, June 2023.

Lucas, Nuno. ‘Prokofiev’s Chout: Tracing Individuality in Orchestration.’ Paper presented at BFE/RMA Research Students’ Conference, Cardiff University, January 2024.