News
Graduate Student Kingsley Okyere Discusses the Global Circulation, National Imaginaries, and Syncretic Loops of Afrobeats in The Black Scholar
"Kingsley Okyere’s essay takes on the question of how national imaginaries shape the sonic quality and the circuits of Afrobeats sound in Anglophone West Africa as well as globally. Okyere’s exploration might appear to rehearse the now-familiar if also playful Nigeria–Ghana rivalries, but he in fact shines a vital light on the fraught question of the circuits of exchange between these nations, two salient spaces 'from which the phenomenon is largely shaped' on the continent.
Anna Weesner Releases "My Mother in Love"
A boy sits on the stairs, reading a book about war as he also observes his mother below in the kitchen, where she has placed her head on the table and is not moving. Perhaps not breathing? So begins the first of ten songs in My Mother in Love, newly released by Bridge Records (9588), with lyrics by the composer, and performed by soprano Tony Arnold with Cygnus Ensemble.
Tyshawn Sorey Earns Grant from The Pew Center for Arts and Heritage
"How can arts organizations chart a path toward greater sustainability at a time of challenge? What connections are forged when communities share their stories through art? How does a deeper understanding of American history shape our collective identity now? And what is possible when artists are empowered to dream and bring their visions to life? These questions are at the heart of the projects and artistic practices supported by the Center’s 39 new grants, representing an investment in a thriving and diverse cultural ecology in Philadelphia."
Mary Channen Caldwell Explores Silent Moves in "60-Second Lectures"
Can you imagine dancing without music, just like the silent discos of today? In the European Middle Ages, if you saw people dancing alone, you might have thought they were mystics or even possessed. Caldwell takes just a minute to explore the intriguing history of how dance and music have been intertwined—or not—through the ages as a guest of Penn Arts & Sciences series, "60-Second Lectures." Watch Caldwell's Lecture Here
Carol Muller Discusses Exploring Philly's Sonic Legacy on Penn Arts & Sciences OMNIA Podcast
Philadelphia's rich musical heritage is a treasure trove of influence and innovation. In a groundbreaking graduate class, students from Carol Muller’s ethnomusicology course delve into the city’s Black music history, producing a podcast that brings this vibrant soundscape to life. Tune in to hear insights and explore the musical legacy that continues to shape global rhythms. Listen on Apple Podcasts
Associate Professor Glenda Goodman Co-Edits 'American Contact': a New Book on Intercultural Encounters Through Material Texts
New book! Associate Professor Glenda Goodman and Rhae Lynn Barnes (History, Princeton) co-edited American Contact: Objects of Intercultural Encounters and the Boundaries of Book History, out this month with University of Pennsylvania Press's Material Texts series.
Jim Sykes and Mary Channen Caldwell Discuss Sound Studies in OMNIA Alumni Magazine
In an article for OMNIA, Penn Arts & Sciences alumni magazine, writer Laura Dattaro highlights the contributions of Jim Sykes and Mary Channen Caldwell to the field of sound studies. Sykes, an associate professor in the Department of Music, explores sound's role in covert surveillance and cultural communication, including the concept of underwater listening stations. His research, reflected in the book Remapping Sound Studies, emphasizes a global perspective and the significance of sound in shaping cultural experiences, such as in post-war Sri Lanka.
Carol Ann Muller Joins Other Musicians, Poets, and Scholars to Create a Sampling of South African Jazz
The article by Giovanni Russonello from the New York Times explores South Africa’s profound relationship with jazz music, with its roots in apartheid’s racial oppression when used as a symbol of resistance. South African jazz continued to evolve post-apartheid to be embraced by a new generation of musicians. Muller introduces her pick, “Cape Genesis: Slave Labor” by Kyle Shepherd, within the article. Each song’s description is accompanied by a Youtube link as well for listening.
Katherine Scahill Awarded 2024 Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship
Penn Music's Katherine Scahill has been named one of 22 Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellows for 2024. administered by the Institute for Citizen's & Scholars. The award will fund her upcoming dissertation, "The gendered politics of religious authority in Thai Buddhism: Voice, embodiment, and sonic efficacy in the movement for female monastic ordination." From the Institute for Citizens & Scholars:
Penn Music Scholars Win Salvatori Awards for Research in Italian Culture and Society
Penn Faculty members Mauro Calcango and Mary Channen Caldwell and Graduate Student in Historical Musicology Renée Olo were among those given a Salvatori Award from the Center for Italian Studies. The Salvatori Award is an annual research grant endowed by the late Henry Salvatori (EE 23) to support short-term planned research projects pertaining to Italian culture and society. Congratulations to the recipients!