We are delighted to welcome Dr Shaena Weitz to the Department of Music, as a British Academy Newton International Fellow. Shaena's project 'Rescinding Genius' examines the marketing and publicity processes employed in the construction – and (importantly!) destruction – of 19C musicians. It focuses on five superstar composers of the period whose reputations rapidly declined:  Steibelt, Kalkbrenner,  Herz, Hummel and (fanfare) Rossini. By inverting the usual stories of growth and sucess and focusing instead on decline and failure, she raises questions about how we understand value and success historically -- and the project will also help us better understand the roots of media, celebrity and publicity today.