I am currently finishing up research funded by a Fulbright grant for the 2017–18 academic year. The research I conducted focuses on the composition and reception history of D.D. Shostakovich’s 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 87. During my time in Moscow, I looked at over three-hundred pages of manuscripts for Op. 87 to analyze Shostakovich’s compositional … Continue reading Ryan McCulloch: Shostakovich Research in Moscow
Recently, SMR members participated in a professional development event on academic publishing with invited speaker Mary Francis, the Editorial Director of Michigan Publishing and Senior Acquiring Editor for Music, Media Studies, and digitalculturebooks. Francis led a conversation on the many aspects of this topic, from pitching a manuscript and drafting a book proposal to navigating … Continue reading Academic Publishing Presentation
This past academic year was a productive one for SMR members, not least of all for their publications. The below are a few of them (but see also our post on Vivian’s MTO article). Jessica Grimmer had a review of the book Playing for Their Lives: The Global El Sistema Movement for Social Change Through … Continue reading SMR Publications, 2017–18
Last weekend, SMR members celebrated a productive and successful year with a barbecue at Alyssa's well-appointed home. The weather held out nicely, and members enjoyed a variety of culinary offerings, yard games, domesticated animals, and conversation. Congratulations, everyone, on a great year, and enjoy the summer! Photos by Richard Smith and William van Geest.
Last week, SMR members met for the organization’s year-end General Assembly. The meeting was well-attended, and members discussed a variety of topics, both reviewing the many undertakings of the year that passed (including our successful graduate-student conference in March!) and making exciting plans for the following year. Cover photo: Our co-chairs, Lena and Vivian, bravely lead … Continue reading SMR End-of-2018 General Assembly
On the opening weekend of spring break, Alyssa, Ho-Chak, Casper, and I had the great fortune of visiting the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, as arranged by Professor Lester Monts and the Stearns Collection. The museum operates on the slogan “Music is the Language of the Soul,” and the bulk of the museum is devoted … Continue reading Musical Instrument Museum Trip
Last weekend, SMR held its much-anticipated 2018 graduate-student conference. Students from around the country gave ten paper presentations (including one lecture-recital) on a variety of topics relating to the conference's theme, "Music and Borders," across the disciplines of historical musicology, ethnomusicology, music theory, and musical performance (see conference program below). The conference's keynote speaker was Dr. Alejandro … Continue reading 2018 SMR Conference: Music and Borders
Alyssa Wells was recently featured on the Brass Chicks blog—on International Women's Day, no less—in a piece she wrote about her path to her current research. You can read all about it here.
Last week, several SMR members attended the 2018 annual meeting of the Society for American Music in Kansas City, MO. One member, James McNally, presented his paper on the experimental music scene in Sāo Paulo, Brazil (see abstract below). Photo: James presenting his talk (credit: Nee Chucherdwatanasak) “DIY Experimental: Punk’s Radical Reinvention of Musical Experimentalism … Continue reading SMR at Society for American Music 2018 Annual Conference
Next weekend, March 10–11, SMR will be hosting a graduate-student conference titled “Music and Borders” right here in Ann Arbor. We will attend the UMS performance of Company Wang Ramirez’s “Borderline” as a group; our keynote speaker, Dr. Alejandro L. Madrid of Cornell University, will give a talk titled “The Importance of Being from ‘The Other Side’: Music, … Continue reading Next Week: SMR Graduate Student Conference, Music & Borders
