News
Graduate Student Hannah Junco to Join Mali Obomsawin for Pre-Show Talk at Penn Live Arts
As part of Penn Live Arts' ListenHear Series, First-Year Graduate Student in Ethnomusicology Hannah Junco will join Mali Obomsawin for a pre-show talk on January 26, 2025 at 6 PM in the Harold Prince Theatre. Following the discussion, the Mali Obomsawin Quintet will make their Philadelphia debut.
Jim Sykes Awarded Inaugural Monsoon Book Prize in Anthropology and Koskoff Prize Honorable Mention for Sounding the Indian Ocean
Jim Sykes, Undergraduate Chair and Professor of Music, was recently awarded the inaugural Monsoon Prize in Indian Ocean Studies (Archaeology and Anthropology) and received honorable mention for the Society for Ethnomusicology’s Koskoff Prize for his book Sounding the Indian Ocean: Musical Circulations in the Afro-Asiatic Seascape, co-edited with Julia Byl, Associate Professor at the University of Alberta.
Mary Channen Caldwell Explores St. Nicholas's Cult and Liturgical Practices in New Chapter on Medieval Versicles
Penn Music Professor Mary Channen Caldwell has recently been included in part of Music and Liturgy for the Benedicamus Domino c.800–1650. Caldwell’s chapter puts St. Nicholas’s cult and liturgy into conversation with the musical and ritual practices of singing liturgical versicles in medieval Europe. Doing so sheds light on why and how certain melodies were borrowed, and what meanings were retained or lost as melodic material was manipulated and transformed during the long history of singing versicles in rituals.
Lecturer Qiujiang Levi Lu Selected as an ISSUE Project Room Artist-in-Residence
We're excited to share and congratulate Penn Music lecturer, Qiujiang Levi Lu, who has recently been selected to join the ISSUE Project Room as an Artist-In-Residence for 2025 season. From ISSUE Project Room:
Jeffrey Kallberg Appointed Interim Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences
The Music Department is proud to share that Jeffrey Kallberg, Deputy Dean and William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Music, will serve as Interim Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, effective January 1, 2025.
Behind the Music: Andrew Kierszenbaum C'20 on Composing for Arcane and His Journey from Penn to Netflix
Andrew Kierszenbaum C'20 is building a strong career in film and television composition, with his work on Netflix's Arcane being a major highlight. In this interview, Andrew talks about his path from Penn to composing for the popular animated series, offering insights into his creative process, the challenges of working on Arcane, and advice for aspiring composers.
Jeffery Kallberg Helps Authenticate Newly Discovered Chopin Score
Jeffrey Kallberg, Associate Dean for Arts and Letters and a leading scholar on Chopin, helped verify the authenticity of a recently discovered unknown work by the famous composer. “My jaw dropped,” Kallberg says. “I knew I had never seen this before.” Read more and listen to the waltz in The New York Times.
Timothy Rommen Named University of Pennsylvania's Vice Provost for the Arts
The Department of Music congratulates Timothy Rommen, Davidson Kennedy Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences and professor of music and Africana studies, for his appointment as vice provost for the arts at Penn, effective January 1, 2025.
Kingsley Okyere Receives AADMS Prize from Society for Ethnomusicology
Graduate Student Kingsley Okyere received the African and African Diasporic Music Section (AADMS) African Student Paper Prize at the recent meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology for his paper, "Afrobeats’ Genre-Defying Tactics," that was first presented in Ottawa, Canada in October 2023. The 69th Annual meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology was held virtually from October 17-26, 2024.
Routledge Companion to Diasporic Jazz Features Carol Muller's Insights on South African Jazz History and Performance and Other Articles
Carol Muller contributed to the upcoming "Routledge Companion to Diasporic Jazz Studies," with her chapter focusing on exploring the diaspore in South African Jazz History and Contemporary Performance. The comprehensive volume examines jazz as a global phenomenon, emphasizing the unique narratives and cultural identities that emerge from diasporic experiences.