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Spring Concert: Treble And Concert Choir; April 26, 2026, Mark Grizzard, Andrew Bruhn

School of Music Programs

This is the two hundred and second program of the 2025-2026 season.

Center for the Performing Arts

April 26, 2026

Sunday Evening

6:00 p.m.

Moving On Stage, Moving The Audience: The Overlooked Impacts Of Body Language On Performance Reception Of Classical Music, Julia Jacobsen

Student Publications and Presentations

A large focus in productions of classical music is put towards executing the music at the highest level to achieve both the composer’s and interpreter’s visions. However, modern-day musicians often overlook the importance of visually conveying their music through their emotional expressions and movements. In this paper, I will examine existing research on audience perceptions of classical music performances, utilizing highly successful musicians as examples to determine their impact on audience reception of classical music. In so doing, I hope to develop strategies for greater audience engagement that will help music students and performers increase their connection to their auditors. …

Isu Wind Symphony And Metea Valley High School Korean Percussion Ensemble: April 22, 2026, Anthony C. Marinello Iii, Madison Mueller-Howell, Useon Choi, Nicole Schimdt, Kyle Gilles, Jordan Yi

School of Music Programs

This is the one hundred and eighty-seventh program of the 2025-2026 season.

Center for the performing Arts

April 22, 2026

Wednesday Evening

7:00 p.m.

Illinois Valley Central High School Wind Ensemble And Symphonic Band: April 21, 2026, Matthew Chapman, Lauren N. Bobarsky, Colby Powers

School of Music Programs

This is the one hundred and eighty-fourth program of the 2025-2026 season.

Center for the Performing Arts

April 21, 2026

Tuesday Evening

8:00 p.m.

Isu Philharmonia String Orchestra: April 20, 2026, Samuel Chen, Jayce Milburn, Julia Stowell

School of Music Programs

This is the one hundred and eighty-first program of the 2025-2026 season.

Center for the Performing Arts

April 20, 2026

Monday Evening

7:00 p.m.

Dissecting Word And Song: Observing The Interplay Between Linguistic Analysis And Ethnomusicology, Dashiell Elliot Schindler

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

Ethnomusicology is a subfield within cultural ethnography that aims to provide detailed, descriptive analysis on contemporary music culture, applying cross cultural comparison to trace musical lineages and identify sounds significant to a select society. The field serves as an interdisciplinary measure to accurately index musical styles that serve as a cultural marker to the heritage to which they are ascribed. Linguistic analysis aspires to many of the same goals. It is one of the four major disciplines within anthropology, and has its sights focused critically on the examination of language in its spoken form. Linguists apply research methods such as …

An Exploration Of Irish-American Identity Through Music And Oral History, Rylee Kay Houser

University of Montana Conference on Undergraduate Research (UMCUR)

An Exploration of Irish-American Identity through Music and Oral History

The “Irish Jaunting Car” was described by Kevin Shannon of Butte, Montana as a traditional Irish tune played in the Ceili saloons. For Shannon a Ceili simply meant to play music. For musical historians it is more commonly described as a dance or music session of the home or pubs. Common of many Irish traditional tunes, there is an emphasis on placenames:

From Roscommon to Kildare

From Dublin down to Castle Bar

From there to County Clare

From Cork to Limerick and Athlone

Then home by Mullingar

You can view …

Powwow Sound: The Differences Between Northern And Southen Style Music, Alison P. Walker

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

The purpose of this study was to observe the music performed at Powwows and the differences of the sound according to region.

I examined the changes based on region that made the style of music performed different.

Oktoberfest In Kansas: Music, Cultural Heritage, And Community Identity, Lauren June

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Oktoberfest began in Munich and is known for its strong connection to music and celebration. In Kansas, Oktoberfest reflects German heritage through live bands, dancing, and traditional songs. This project explores how music helps preserve culture and bring communities together.

David Harnish Oral History Interview, David Harnish, Elisa Villalpando

Callison College and School of International Studies

No abstract provided.

Does Traditional Music From Different Cultures Affect Sleep Quality Differently?, Keiarra J. Gonzales

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Sleep is crucial for maintaining a balanced metabolism and managing appetite, blood sugar, and diabetes. There are many global sleep challenges among college students, which includes what level of priority sleep is in college populations. Therefore, this study covers the topic question Does Traditional Music From Different Cultures Affect Sleep Quality Differently. Furthermore, this study will include peer-reviewed articles, comparison of musical traditions, and analysis of tempo, instrumentation, and cultural familiarity.

Japanese Music Theory, Elias N. Nichols

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

This research project explores Japanese music theories. By analyzing the basic components of Japanese music, including historical and modern approaches, this presentation demonstrates the similarities and differences in the formation of music in western thought when compared to the methodology of Japan. This research dives deep into tones, scales, melodic approaches, historical development and the effect on modern compositions today. This project informs the audience on the nuances of Japanese music theories in the hope to dispel stereotypes about music theories from different cultures, apart from western thought.

Preliminary Sonification Of Enso Using Traditional Javanese Gamelan Scales, Sandy Hs Herho, Rusmawan Suwarman, Nurjanna J. Trilaksono, Iwan P. Anwar, Faiz R. Fajary

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

Sonification—the mapping of data to non-speech audio—offers an underexplored channel for representing complex dynamical systems. We treat El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a canonical example of low-dimensional climate chaos, as a test case for culturally-situated sonification evaluated through complex systems diagnostics. Using parameter-mapping sonification of the Niño 3.4 sea surface temperature anomaly index (1870–2024), we encode ENSO variability into two traditional Javanese gamelan pentatonic systems (pelog and slendro) across four composition strategies, then analyze the resulting audio as trajectories in a two- dimensional acoustic phase space. Recurrence-based diagnostics, convex hull ge- ometry, and coupling analysis reveal that the sonification …

The Banjo: A Dive Into The Creation And Rise Of Bluegrass’S Favorite Instrument, Hans E. Deaton

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

This study examines the creation and development of the banjo and its cultural transformation from its West African origins to its role in modern American music. The banjo originated from instruments native to West Africa and was brought to the Americas through the transatlantic slave trade, where it evolved within enslaved African communities. It was later performed by 19th-century American minstrels, leading to its widespread adoption by the Appalachian South. In the 20th century, the banjo became a defining instrument in bluegrass music, shaped by performers such as Bill Monroe and Earl Scruggs. Today, the banjo maintains a lasting influence …

We're All Ramblers, Here: American National Identity As Articulated Through The Sounds And Stories Of Bluegrass Music, Greyson M. Sherman

Senior Theses

This creative thesis argues that bluegrass music, through its multicultural origins and its central "Rambler" archetype, articulates a distinctly American negotiation between freedom and rootedness — one that extends far beyond the genre's narrow popular image. Drawing on musicological scholarship and cultural history, the paper first recovers bluegrass's suppressed origins in the convergence of West African, Anglo- Celtic, and broader European traditions, complicating narratives that position the genre as exclusively white and Appalachian. It then introduces the Rambler — the restless, longing figure who haunts bluegrass lyrically and structurally — as both a product of that history and a metaphorical …

Gendered Discourses And Classed Access Routes For Feminist Djs In Irish Subcultural Scenes, Andrea Cleary

Irish Communication Review

This article examines feminist collectives in Ireland’s electronic/dance music (E/DM) and music technology (MT) scenes, focusing on how gender and class intersect to shape access and participation. Drawing on thematic analysis of interviews with five collective members active between 2016 and 2025, it traces paths to participation from "musical homes" to instrument education to university DJ societies. To do this, it examines the overlapping family, cultural and subcultural capitals which shaped their journeys. Finally, this article considers the role of feminist collectives in creating alternative educational spaces and networks for women and gender minority participation in E/DM cultures.

‘It’S The Best Person For The Job’: Gendering Logic And The Hiring Practices Of Music Organisations In Ireland, Yvonne Kiely Dr

Irish Communication Review

Despite calls for reform in the allocation of jobs in music industries, little is known about how music organisations operate internally and the day-to-day realities that male and female workers must navigate. Findings of bullying and harassment in the arts sector by the Irish Theatre Institute prompted the Irish government in 2022 to issue a set of recommendations aimed at reforming the working conditions and gender divisions of labour of arts sector organisations under its remit. These recommendations were made in the absence of academic studies of music organisations in Ireland, and in the absence of centralised data about these …

Msh 115 - World Music Writing Intensive, Margaret Farrell

Open Educational Resources

This syllabus guided our exploration of music around the globe. In this writing intensive section, music served as a means to internalize information through writing as well as inspiration for developing a clear and persuasive writing style. Our investigations included consideration the forms of the music as well as their cultural and historical contexts.

Transcribing Shakuhachi Honkyoku For Bassoon: Notation, Orality, And Perfomance Practice, Adrian Fonseca Tellez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This project consists of transcriptions of two pieces from the shakuhachi honkyoku (“original pieces”) repertoire, Kumoi Jishi (Cloud Lion) and Sanya Sugagaki (Three Valleys), with the aim of extending the bassoon’s repertoire outside of the Western canon while exploring the capabilities of the bassoon to emulate the performance practices of the shakuhachi, which include both extended techniques found in current bassoon literature as well as techniques unique to shakuhachi performance. Included in the written document is a brief overview of the shakuhachi and its applications in traditional Japanese music, a description of honkyoku and its characteristics, and the Japanese concept …

Contributors To Issue 8

Music & Musical Performance: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

The Way Of The Moderns: Six Perspectives On Modernism In Music, Edited By Antoni Pizà, Rob Haskins

Music & Musical Performance: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

The Sound Of Difference: Race, Class And The Politics Of “Diversity” In Classical Music, By Kristina Kolbe, Kailan R. Rubinoff

Music & Musical Performance: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

The Paradox Of Musical Vernaculars, By Marina Ritzarev, Jacob Gran

Music & Musical Performance: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

Contributors To Issue 7

Music & Musical Performance: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

Sounds Of Other Shores: The Musical Poetics Of Identity On Kenya's Swahili Coast, By Andrew J. Eisenberg. Middletown, Ct: Wesleyan University Press, 2024 [Review]., Charles Lwanga

Music & Musical Performance: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

“It Takes A Big Thrust To Destabilize An Entrenched Practice”: On Taruskin And The Western Traditions, Ronit Seter

Music & Musical Performance: An International Journal

This memorial essay begins with a brief appreciation of Richard Taruskin’s The Oxford History of Western Music and its critical reception (Susan McClary, Charles Rosen). It continues with comments on the early stages of his career, noting his strategic pincer movement, that is, a pivot from his early research on Russian operas—to his 1980 groundbreaking JAMS article on Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring on the one hand, and a source reading book (Weiss-Taruskin, 1984) on the other. Both became essential for launching his career, and for our field. I then delve into several of Taruskin’s core ideas—about current and past …

Introduction, Ronit Seter, Ralph P. Locke

Music & Musical Performance: An International Journal

Richard Taruskin—the single most prominent and influential musicologist of the past half-century—died on July 1, 2022 at age 77. This Colloquy consists of extended versions of papers presented on July 2, 2023, at the annual meeting of the Israeli Musicological Society, and additional essays by scholars who knew Taruskin personally. The essays engage in critical reflections on his personality, ethics, teaching philosophy, methodologies, and massive and skillful literary output. Moreover, they illuminate developments in musicology over the past fifty years, from its positivistic roots and its focus on Western canonical works to challenges from ethnomusicological practices, feminist theory, and anti-racism/colonialism.

Contributors To Issue 4

Music & Musical Performance: An International Journal

No abstract provided.

The Japanese Shakuhachi: Comparing The Ancient Tuning With The Modern One, Nick Bellando, Bruno Deschênes

Music & Musical Performance: An International Journal

The difference between traditional and modern shakuhachi construction and tuning is significant in that it represents a paradigm shift in the psychological aim and embodied techniques employed in association with the instrument. Beginning in Edo-era Japan as an ostensibly religious instrument, the shakuhachi was at first played with a similar technique to its predecessor, the hitoyogiri, using the breath to modify pitch and giving priority to tone color. Coming into the modern era, the shakuhachi came to be used increasingly as a modern musical instrument; the resulting higher priority of pitch-precision brought about changes in construction and playing techniques that …

Expanding Access To Latin American Art Song: A Study Of Theodoro Valcárcel's Andean-Influenced Art Songs, Douglas E. Perez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

EXPANDING ACCESS TO LATIN AMERICAN ART SONG: A STUDY OF THEODORO VALCÁRCEL’S ANDEAN-INFLUENCED ART SONGS advocates for the exploration and performance of underrepresented Latin American composers. Multiple methods of increasing access are discussed, including the creation of a central source for IPA, literal, and poetic translations of Latin American art songs; the study of seldom-performed composers, their output, and influences; and the application of these elements through informed performance. This document centers on the Peruvian composer Theodoro Valcárcel and analyzes the intersection of his indigenous heritage with his Latin American and European musical training as reflected in his compositional style …