Olivia Bartrand
Areas of Study: Department of Music Contact: Email Interests:
Ecomusicology in Madagascar; Indigenous Knowledge Systems and embodied knowledge; theme park music; early American popular music; banjo origins; kitsch theory
Olivia Bartrand (She/Her(s)) is a PhD student in the Music Department at the University of Chicago. Her research interests are broad, covering ecomusicology in Madagascar, Indigenous Knowledge Systems, theme park music, early American popular music and banjo, and kitsch theory. Olivia is also passionate about traversing beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries, especially with regards to climate science, environmental research, and climate-related humanitarianism.
Olivia graduated with a BMus from University College Dublin in 2022 and completed her MMus in Musicology and Ethnomusicology from King’s College London and SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies) University of London in 2024. Olivia has also worked with the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre on synthesizing embodied climate knowledge with other social and physical science disciplines in climate change response contexts. Outside of academia, Olivia is a 5-string Appalachian clawhammer banjo player, an avid consumer of pop musics, and a mediocre runner aspiring to be a really good runner.