The Department of Music is pleased to host Critical Perspectives on Comparative Musicology and Music Studies, 1885-1950, October 28-30, on the University of Chicago campus. This three-day event is co-organized by Ludwig Rosenberger Distinguished Service Professor in Jewish History, Music and the Humanities in the College; Associate Faculty, Divinity School Philip V. Bohlman, Tomal Hossain, and Victoria Mogollon Montagne. This workshop is a collaboration between the Universität Wien and the University of Chicago and features a keynote lecture by Ronald Radano, presentations by Department of Music faculty and students, lectures by visiting faculty, and a concert by Lute Legends with Ronnie Malley.
Spanning the period between 1885 and 1950—a time marked by world wars, colonial expansion and decline, and foundational shifts in global academia—this workshop examines how musical knowledge was produced, transmitted, and racialized within and across national traditions. We seek to critically engage with the impacts of imperialism, colonialism, modernity, and scientific hegemony on the historical development of (comparative) musicology and music studies, as well as their legacies in contemporary music research.
See the schedule of events below and download the full program.
Tuesday, October 28
Lute Legends Collective | Borderlands: Music on the Edge
Workshop - 5:00 PM | Goodspeed 402
Performance - 7:00 PM | Fulton Recital Hall, Goodspeed Hall, 4th floor
This transfixing musical journey is anchored by a triangle of distinct traditions: the evocative depiction of nature in ancient China, the multilayered ornamentation of the European Renaissance, and the improvisatory brilliance of Middle Eastern maqam. The performance explores the uncharted geographical and stylistic spaces between the points of that triangle. Through diverse repertoire such as haunting Uyghur folk tunes from Xinjiang, polyphonic songs from the Iberian peninsula, and classical forms from the Ottoman court, we experience moments across time, borders, and race when these three musical cultures engage with one another.
Wednesday, October 29
Welcome, Panel 1, Roundtable
12:30 - 5:00 PM
Social Sciences Building, Tea Room, 1st floor
12:30pm – Welcome / Opening remarks
Panel 1
1pm-1:30pm: Dr. Christian Friedrich Poske
1:30pm-2pm: Pramantha Tagore
2pm-2:30pm: Dr. Rodrigo Chocano
2:30pm-3pm – Coffee and Tea Break
3pm-4:15pm – Roundtable: “To Be a Musicologist, To Be Racialized: Still Living with the Enemy?”
4:15pm-5pm – Reception
Thursday, October 30
Panels 2 & 3, Keynote, Book Release
11 AM - 6:30 PM
Franke Institute for the Humanities, Regenstein Library
Panel 2
11am-11:30pm: Dr. Martin Ringsmut
11:30am-12pm: Dr. Julio Mendívil
12pm-12:30pm: Dr. Alex Cowan
12:30pm-2pm - Lunch break
Panel 3
2pm - 3pm: Dr. Phil Bohlman + discussants
3pm-4:15pm – Keynote: Dr. Ronald Radano
4:15pm-4:30pm – Coffee and Tea Break
4:30pm-5:30pm – Book Release: Dr. Ronald Radano in conversation with Drs. Jessica Swanston Baker and Travis Jackson
5:30pm-6:30pm – Reception
