Encompassing much more than music history, the Musicology Program at Northwestern approaches music as a social activity shaped by aesthetic movements and intellectual theories – in essence, the humanistic study of music in culture.

Students are invited to view music through an interdisciplinary lens to reveal cultural contexts and meanings not accessible through the study of music notation alone. By integrating the perspectives of historical musicology and ethnomusicology, the program trains open-minded yet critical scholars adaptable to varied repertoires and academic strategies, in an atmosphere of collegiality and peer support.

The graduate student support provided to PhD students includes year-round tuition and stipend and fully subsidized health insurance.

About the Musicology Program

The internationally-renowned musicology faculty is the program’s greatest asset.

Their collective expertise covers all periods of traditional music history as well as neglected geographies that are gaining increasing prominence in the field, such as the former Soviet Republics, Spain, Britain, the Middle East, and Latin America. A particular program strength is eighteenth-century studies. All of these areas, coupled with Northwestern’s historic strength in African and African-American studies, create a group of specializations that is unique to Northwestern.

The PhD degree program is truly interdisciplinary in design, requiring coursework in a cognate area in the humanities or social sciences. The musicology coursework reflects the wide interests of the faculty and its interdisciplinary approaches. Students are regular presenters of academic papers at regional, national, and international conferences, and have received prestigious fellowships and awards, as well as academic placements, after graduation.

The Musicology Program is enhanced by its location at a major research university and within a prominent school of music. Because the University is dedicated to interdisciplinary study, the Musicology program gains support from a campus-wide network of scholars who are open to collaboration. A vibrant performance culture includes more than 400 concerts each year. Students also benefit from the multi-faceted scholarly community, research libraries, and thriving musical cultures of both Evanston and Chicago.

Northwestern University Music Library

Among the largest music collections in the U.S., the Northwestern University Music Library has an unmatched strength in 20th century and contemporary classical music, and holds at least one copy of nearly every new score published since 1945.

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Degree Information

Bachelor’s Degrees

The Bachelor of Music degree with concentration in musicology combines broad training in the field of music history with limited performance study. The curriculum provides a balanced exposure to music of all periods and offers studies in the analysis of music, foreign language, ethnomusicology, and related areas.
See Bachelor of Music Requirements

The Bachelor of Arts in Music degree permits a wider selection of liberal arts courses, but less time for musical performance.
See Bachelor of Arts Requirements

The Bachelor of Science in Music degree is a non-admitting degree and is identical to the BA degree with the exception of no foreign language requirement and no senior project requirement.
See Bachelor of Science Requirements

Master of Music

The MM in Musicology is a two-year comprehensive degree that immerses students in all periods of Western music history, world music cultures, and popular/media music.

The Master of Music requires the completion of 18 courses during a residency of two years. The terminal requirement is the public professional presentation of original research completed in the course of study for the degree.
See Master of Music Requirements

PhD in Music

The PhD in Music with musicology specialization exposes students to a variety of musical styles and research methods. Although the program offers advanced degrees only in Western studies, students are encouraged to take courses in ethnomusicology. Admission is selective and the department is small so that students have easy access to the faculty. All students receive full tuition and a living stipend so that they may fully devote themselves to research and study.

The degree requires 18 courses beyond the MM degree, 3 each quarter during the two years of residency. The terminal requirement involves language proficiency in two European languages, a comprehensive examination in music history and theory, and a dissertation.

See PhD Requirements

Musicology PhD Students

PhD Candidate

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Sashi Ayyangar

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PhD Candidate

SashiAyyangar2025@u.northwestern.edu

Sashi's research focuses on the 18th century, with an emphasis on the music of Bach, Handel, and their contemporaries. He previously studied piano performance at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and music at Princeton.

PhD Candidate

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Andrew Barrett

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PhD Candidate

AndrewBarrett2025@u.northwestern.edu

I am a musicologist specializing in Spanish music of the twentieth century. My current work investigates how friendships and affective bonds between musicians facilitated informal cultural diplomacy between Spain and the United States during the Cold War. In my dissertation, I do so through a microhistorical study of the creation and first performances of Joaquín Rodrigo’s 1958 guitar concerto Fantasía para un gentilhombre. I focus on Rodrigo’s collaboration with his wife Victoria Kamhi and the guitarist Andrés Segovia, and I demonstrate how these relationships instigated a transatlantic musical exchange involving public and private institutions in the United States and Spain.

A secondary area of interest is music and memory studies, which I have explored through research on musical memorials to Martin Luther King, Jr. and operatic commemorations of the Holocaust. An article on the latter subject is forthcoming in the journal Holocaust Studies.

I am currently a PhD candidate in musicology at Northwestern University, and I previously earned a BM in guitar from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a MM in guitar/MA in musicology from Indiana University. My research has been supported by the Northwestern Dissertation Proposal Development Program and the Northwestern Graduate Research Grant, and I have shared my work at meetings of the American Musicological Society, the Society for American Music, and various other conferences in the United States and Spain.

PhD Candidate

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Olivia Cacchione

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PhD Candidate

OliviaCacchione2021@u.northwestern.edu

Olivia Cacchione (she/her) is a PhD candidate in musicology. She received her MM in harp performance and her MA in music history from University of Washington. Her current work deals broadly with intersections of music, sound, and spirit in the long nineteenth century in England and America. Her dissertation asks how music haunts us and explores a cultural history of listening with an emphasis on the lived experience of the Victorian-era spiritualist séance.  Her work has been funded by the Mellon Foundation and the Social Science Research Council. She has published on the topic of the voices of spirits in mid-twentieth century gothic radio dramas, and presented papers at the American Musicological Society and the Society for American Music conferences. In her free time, she enjoys riding her bike, reading crime fiction, and indulging in ghost hunts and other paranormal entertainments.

3rd year PhD

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Valeria Chavez Roncal

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3rd year PhD

ValeriaChavezRoncal2027@u.northwestern.edu

Valeria Chávez Roncal is a third-year PhD student in Musicology at Northwestern University. She earned her BM in Music Performance and BA in Spanish from Millikin University in 2021. Her research currently focuses on American composer John Cage and his involvement in the modern dance spheres throughout the latter half of the twentieth century. She maintains a cognate area in the Spanish and Portuguese department, where she studies sonic representations of indigeneity in Peruvian cumbia music. She has presented her work at the Midwest Chapter Meeting of the American Musicological Society, appeared as a panelist at the Middlebury College Summer Language Program, and has contributed writings to NYU’s Latinx Project. Outside of her musicological endeavors, Valeria enjoys practicing yoga and playing violin.

Sashi Ayyangar

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PhD Candidate

SashiAyyangar2025@u.northwestern.edu

Sashi's research focuses on the 18th century, with an emphasis on the music of Bach, Handel, and their contemporaries. He previously studied piano performance at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and music at Princeton.

Andrew Barrett

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PhD Candidate

AndrewBarrett2025@u.northwestern.edu

I am a musicologist specializing in Spanish music of the twentieth century. My current work investigates how friendships and affective bonds between musicians facilitated informal cultural diplomacy between Spain and the United States during the Cold War. In my dissertation, I do so through a microhistorical study of the creation and first performances of Joaquín Rodrigo’s 1958 guitar concerto Fantasía para un gentilhombre. I focus on Rodrigo’s collaboration with his wife Victoria Kamhi and the guitarist Andrés Segovia, and I demonstrate how these relationships instigated a transatlantic musical exchange involving public and private institutions in the United States and Spain.

A secondary area of interest is music and memory studies, which I have explored through research on musical memorials to Martin Luther King, Jr. and operatic commemorations of the Holocaust. An article on the latter subject is forthcoming in the journal Holocaust Studies.

I am currently a PhD candidate in musicology at Northwestern University, and I previously earned a BM in guitar from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a MM in guitar/MA in musicology from Indiana University. My research has been supported by the Northwestern Dissertation Proposal Development Program and the Northwestern Graduate Research Grant, and I have shared my work at meetings of the American Musicological Society, the Society for American Music, and various other conferences in the United States and Spain.

Olivia Cacchione

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PhD Candidate

OliviaCacchione2021@u.northwestern.edu

Olivia Cacchione (she/her) is a PhD candidate in musicology. She received her MM in harp performance and her MA in music history from University of Washington. Her current work deals broadly with intersections of music, sound, and spirit in the long nineteenth century in England and America. Her dissertation asks how music haunts us and explores a cultural history of listening with an emphasis on the lived experience of the Victorian-era spiritualist séance.  Her work has been funded by the Mellon Foundation and the Social Science Research Council. She has published on the topic of the voices of spirits in mid-twentieth century gothic radio dramas, and presented papers at the American Musicological Society and the Society for American Music conferences. In her free time, she enjoys riding her bike, reading crime fiction, and indulging in ghost hunts and other paranormal entertainments.

Valeria Chavez Roncal

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3rd year PhD

ValeriaChavezRoncal2027@u.northwestern.edu

Valeria Chávez Roncal is a third-year PhD student in Musicology at Northwestern University. She earned her BM in Music Performance and BA in Spanish from Millikin University in 2021. Her research currently focuses on American composer John Cage and his involvement in the modern dance spheres throughout the latter half of the twentieth century. She maintains a cognate area in the Spanish and Portuguese department, where she studies sonic representations of indigeneity in Peruvian cumbia music. She has presented her work at the Midwest Chapter Meeting of the American Musicological Society, appeared as a panelist at the Middlebury College Summer Language Program, and has contributed writings to NYU’s Latinx Project. Outside of her musicological endeavors, Valeria enjoys practicing yoga and playing violin.

PhD Candidate

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Paul Feller-Simmons

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PhD Candidate

PaulFellerGumucio2024@u.northwestern.edu

Paul Feller holds a Bachelor of Arts with a concentration in musicology from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and a master's degree in musicology from Northwestern University. In addition to being a musicology PhD candidate, Paul is a member of Northwestern's Medieval and Jewish Studies clusters. Primarily an early modernist, his research interests include Jewish-Christian musical exchanges in Northwestern Europe, music in the colonies of the Spanish Empire, and musical othering. Paul has published on eighteenth century opera contrafacts at the Amsterdam Grand Synagogue. Additionally, his research on musical representations of Jewish masculinity was awarded the Irene Alm Memorial Prize of the Society for Seventeenth-Century Music. His work on colonial villancicos in Chile was recognized with an honorable mention for the 2023 Otto Mayer-Serra Award. In 2022, he obtained the American Musicological Society Noah Greenberg Award with Cesar Favila for their contribution to the performance of music from nunneries in New Spain. Paul has presented at conferences throughout the Americas and Europe, including the MUSAM International Conference, the Annual Meeting of the American Musicological Society, the Medieval and Renaissance International Music Conference, and the Association for Jewish Studies Annual Conference. At Northwestern, Paul met his wife, who is also a musicologist, with whom he spends his spare time hiking and playing with their cat.

1st year PhD

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Bridget Foley

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1st year PhD

BridgetFoley2027@u.northwestern.edu

Bridget Foley (they/them) is a PhD student in musicology at Northwestern University. They earned a Bachelor of Music Education with a Choral/General emphasis and a Master of Arts in Musicology from Indiana University. Their research interests lie primarily in ludomusicology, specifically in Japanese video game scores that utilize popular music genres, tying narrative and interactivity to modern musical culture. They have also done research into the broader scope of ludomusicology, exploring how play and music intertwine in the form of canonic composition in the Renaissance. In their free time they enjoy singing in virtual musicals, cuddling with their cat, and moderating several Discord servers.

1st year PhD

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Devin Kaveler

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1st year PhD

DevinKaveler2028@u.northwestern.edu

Devin Kaveler (he/him) earned undergraduate degrees in music (clarinet) and international studies from the University of Missouri in 2018 and an MA degree in musicology from the University of Minnesota in 2023. His research concerns the interrelationships between sonic experimentalism, politics, and place in post-war Central Europe, primarily Poland. Other research interests include the role of music in labor movements, with previous projects focusing on the United Farm Workers group El Teatro Campesino and the 2022 Minneapolis Federation of Teachers strike. He is affiliated with Northwestern’s Global Avant-Garde and Modernism Studies cluster. When not studying, Devin enjoys free improvisation, grilling, and exploring Chicago’s trails and greenways by bicycle.

PhD Candidate

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Mick Lim

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PhD Candidate

BingLim2026@u.northwestern.edu

Lim Bing Nan, Mick is a PhD candidate in musicology. He studied at Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music and Peabody Institute from 2014-2018, earning a joint B.Mus. (Hons.) in composition with a second major in European Studies and minor in Musicology. From 2018-2020, he studied at Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media, where he is expected to earn a M.A. in Music Research and Music Education with minors in Philosophy of Science and Music and Gender. His core research interests revolve around the German-speaking lands in the 18th century. His master’s thesis examined the reception of French classical tragedy in the court opera of Frederick II. He remains interested in music of the 20th and 21st century from his undergraduate training as a composer.

Paul Feller-Simmons

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PhD Candidate

PaulFellerGumucio2024@u.northwestern.edu

Paul Feller holds a Bachelor of Arts with a concentration in musicology from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and a master's degree in musicology from Northwestern University. In addition to being a musicology PhD candidate, Paul is a member of Northwestern's Medieval and Jewish Studies clusters. Primarily an early modernist, his research interests include Jewish-Christian musical exchanges in Northwestern Europe, music in the colonies of the Spanish Empire, and musical othering. Paul has published on eighteenth century opera contrafacts at the Amsterdam Grand Synagogue. Additionally, his research on musical representations of Jewish masculinity was awarded the Irene Alm Memorial Prize of the Society for Seventeenth-Century Music. His work on colonial villancicos in Chile was recognized with an honorable mention for the 2023 Otto Mayer-Serra Award. In 2022, he obtained the American Musicological Society Noah Greenberg Award with Cesar Favila for their contribution to the performance of music from nunneries in New Spain. Paul has presented at conferences throughout the Americas and Europe, including the MUSAM International Conference, the Annual Meeting of the American Musicological Society, the Medieval and Renaissance International Music Conference, and the Association for Jewish Studies Annual Conference. At Northwestern, Paul met his wife, who is also a musicologist, with whom he spends his spare time hiking and playing with their cat.

Bridget Foley

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1st year PhD

BridgetFoley2027@u.northwestern.edu

Bridget Foley (they/them) is a PhD student in musicology at Northwestern University. They earned a Bachelor of Music Education with a Choral/General emphasis and a Master of Arts in Musicology from Indiana University. Their research interests lie primarily in ludomusicology, specifically in Japanese video game scores that utilize popular music genres, tying narrative and interactivity to modern musical culture. They have also done research into the broader scope of ludomusicology, exploring how play and music intertwine in the form of canonic composition in the Renaissance. In their free time they enjoy singing in virtual musicals, cuddling with their cat, and moderating several Discord servers.

Devin Kaveler

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1st year PhD

DevinKaveler2028@u.northwestern.edu

Devin Kaveler (he/him) earned undergraduate degrees in music (clarinet) and international studies from the University of Missouri in 2018 and an MA degree in musicology from the University of Minnesota in 2023. His research concerns the interrelationships between sonic experimentalism, politics, and place in post-war Central Europe, primarily Poland. Other research interests include the role of music in labor movements, with previous projects focusing on the United Farm Workers group El Teatro Campesino and the 2022 Minneapolis Federation of Teachers strike. He is affiliated with Northwestern’s Global Avant-Garde and Modernism Studies cluster. When not studying, Devin enjoys free improvisation, grilling, and exploring Chicago’s trails and greenways by bicycle.

Mick Lim

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PhD Candidate

BingLim2026@u.northwestern.edu

Lim Bing Nan, Mick is a PhD candidate in musicology. He studied at Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music and Peabody Institute from 2014-2018, earning a joint B.Mus. (Hons.) in composition with a second major in European Studies and minor in Musicology. From 2018-2020, he studied at Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media, where he is expected to earn a M.A. in Music Research and Music Education with minors in Philosophy of Science and Music and Gender. His core research interests revolve around the German-speaking lands in the 18th century. His master’s thesis examined the reception of French classical tragedy in the court opera of Frederick II. He remains interested in music of the 20th and 21st century from his undergraduate training as a composer.

PhD Candidate

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Brooke Little

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PhD Candidate

Q4A4T6@u.northwestern.edu

Brooke Little holds a BM in Voice Performance (2005) and also an MME in Vocal Music Education (2008) both from the University of Missouri-Columbia. After which time she spent seven years teaching choir and general music in Kansas City, in primarily urban settings. She also holds a MM in Musicology from the University of Missouri- Kansas City (2017). Her thesis "The Musical Education and Involvement of the Six Wives of Henry VIII", focuses on questions of gender, sexuality, female education and performance in the first half of the English sixteenth century. She has presented selections from her work at the Sixteenth Century Society conference. When not studying, she enjoys spending time with her husband and cats.

PhD Candidate

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Emily Masincup

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PhD Candidate

EmilyMasincup2022@u.northwestern.edu

Emily Masincup received her BM in Music Performance from Messiah College, PA (2014), and her MA in Music from Cardiff University, Wales (2016). Her master’s thesis, entitled “Rings and Other Gendered Spaces: Musical Representations of Gender in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings Films,” seeks to establish unique connections between Howard Shore’s score and different types of space present within the films—literal and/or metaphorical—in order to illuminate subversive readings of gender. She maintains a strong interest in film music, and is especially thrilled when her explorations of film sound lead her into the territory of media studies. Emily also researches historical and contemporary conceptualizations of the human voice/vocality and hopes to combine this research with her film interests by examining representations of musical vocality within film. When she is not studying, she enjoys working on Kakuro puzzles, snuggling with cats, and singing with Northwestern’s University Chorale.

2nd Year PhD

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Carter Miller

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2nd Year PhD

cartermiller2028@u.northwestern.edu

Carter Miller (they/he) earned a BM in music history from McGill University in 2021 and was awarded the Bernard Shapiro Prize upon graduation. They have published their writing on Ann Southam (Canada), Julius Eastman (United States), and Elizabeth Maconchy (United Kingdom) and their research more broadly focuses on the intersection of social activism with classical music from the twentieth/twenty-first centuries, particularly works from the minimalist and post-minimalist traditions. They are also a vocalist, violinist, violist, and pianist and have worked with School of Music Montreal, a non-profit organization which provides free music education for local students, and the New Muses Project, which advocates for the performance, education, and scholarship of composers from historically underrepresented identity groups. 

PhD Candidate

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Simon Nugent

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PhD Candidate

SimonNugent2022@u.northwestern.edu

Simon Nugent earned a Bachelor of Music and Master of Musicology degrees from University College Dublin (UCD). Simon’s research interests include music and audiovisual media, medieval music, and Celtic music. In 2016, he co-organised a meeting of the International Musicological Society’s medieval music study group, Cantus Planus, co-sponsored by UCD and the University of Notre Dame. In the same year, he was co-editor of Issue 9 of The Musicology Review, a peer-reviewed postgraduate publication based at UCD. His transcription of the divine office of Saint Malachy will be published in 2019, and his research on Celtic music as medieval music in Hollywood cinema was published as part of an edited volume entitled Recomposing the Past: Early Music on Stage and Screen, by Routledge press in early 2018. Simon has presented at conferences throughout Ireland and the UK, including the Royal Musical Association Research Students’ Conference and Society for Musicology in Ireland’s postgraduate and annual plenary conferences.

Brooke Little

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PhD Candidate

Q4A4T6@u.northwestern.edu

Brooke Little holds a BM in Voice Performance (2005) and also an MME in Vocal Music Education (2008) both from the University of Missouri-Columbia. After which time she spent seven years teaching choir and general music in Kansas City, in primarily urban settings. She also holds a MM in Musicology from the University of Missouri- Kansas City (2017). Her thesis "The Musical Education and Involvement of the Six Wives of Henry VIII", focuses on questions of gender, sexuality, female education and performance in the first half of the English sixteenth century. She has presented selections from her work at the Sixteenth Century Society conference. When not studying, she enjoys spending time with her husband and cats.

Emily Masincup

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PhD Candidate

EmilyMasincup2022@u.northwestern.edu

Emily Masincup received her BM in Music Performance from Messiah College, PA (2014), and her MA in Music from Cardiff University, Wales (2016). Her master’s thesis, entitled “Rings and Other Gendered Spaces: Musical Representations of Gender in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings Films,” seeks to establish unique connections between Howard Shore’s score and different types of space present within the films—literal and/or metaphorical—in order to illuminate subversive readings of gender. She maintains a strong interest in film music, and is especially thrilled when her explorations of film sound lead her into the territory of media studies. Emily also researches historical and contemporary conceptualizations of the human voice/vocality and hopes to combine this research with her film interests by examining representations of musical vocality within film. When she is not studying, she enjoys working on Kakuro puzzles, snuggling with cats, and singing with Northwestern’s University Chorale.

Carter Miller

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2nd Year PhD

cartermiller2028@u.northwestern.edu

Carter Miller (they/he) earned a BM in music history from McGill University in 2021 and was awarded the Bernard Shapiro Prize upon graduation. They have published their writing on Ann Southam (Canada), Julius Eastman (United States), and Elizabeth Maconchy (United Kingdom) and their research more broadly focuses on the intersection of social activism with classical music from the twentieth/twenty-first centuries, particularly works from the minimalist and post-minimalist traditions. They are also a vocalist, violinist, violist, and pianist and have worked with School of Music Montreal, a non-profit organization which provides free music education for local students, and the New Muses Project, which advocates for the performance, education, and scholarship of composers from historically underrepresented identity groups. 

Simon Nugent

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PhD Candidate

SimonNugent2022@u.northwestern.edu

Simon Nugent earned a Bachelor of Music and Master of Musicology degrees from University College Dublin (UCD). Simon’s research interests include music and audiovisual media, medieval music, and Celtic music. In 2016, he co-organised a meeting of the International Musicological Society’s medieval music study group, Cantus Planus, co-sponsored by UCD and the University of Notre Dame. In the same year, he was co-editor of Issue 9 of The Musicology Review, a peer-reviewed postgraduate publication based at UCD. His transcription of the divine office of Saint Malachy will be published in 2019, and his research on Celtic music as medieval music in Hollywood cinema was published as part of an edited volume entitled Recomposing the Past: Early Music on Stage and Screen, by Routledge press in early 2018. Simon has presented at conferences throughout Ireland and the UK, including the Royal Musical Association Research Students’ Conference and Society for Musicology in Ireland’s postgraduate and annual plenary conferences.

PhD Candidate

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Nathan Reeves

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PhD Candidate

NathanReeves2020@u.northwestern.edu

Nathan is a PhD candidate in musicology with a cognate focus in anthropology. He holds a BM in Vocal Performance from Furman University and a MM in Musicology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a concentration in medieval and renaissance studies. Nathan’s primary research focuses on musical life of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in Spanish-occupied southern Italy. His dissertation project examines how musical representations of subaltern populations intersected with the production of urban space in the city of Naples. This work is particularly attuned to state practices of spatial and sonic regulation that developed under Spanish colonialism. Nathan pursues complementary research in the history of ethnomusicology, particularly concerning approaches to sound recording and transcription. Additional interests include sound studies, Indigenous studies, gender and sexuality studies, postcolonial theory, and ethnography. Nathan has presented his research at a number of conferences, including meetings of the American Musicological Society, the Society for Ethnomusicology, the Sixteenth Century Society, Binghamton University’s Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, and at events hosted by the Newberry Library of Chicago. He currently serves as Co-Coordinator for Northwestern’s Early Modern Colloquium. In addition to his scholarly pursuits, he remains an avid singer in ensembles of the Chicago area.

3rd year PhD

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Kristian Rodriguez

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3rd year PhD

KristianRodriguez2025@u.northwestern.edu

Kristian Rodriguez (they/them) is a PhD student in musicology in the Bienen School of Music, as well as a Mellon Cluster Fellow in the Gender and Sexuality Studies program at Northwestern. They hold a BA in Music from Texas State University (2016), as well as an MM in Composition from Arizona State University (2019), where they completed and staged a performance of their thesis work, Sueño-Vibrant: A Secular Cantata for SATB Chorus and Soloists with Electric Guitars. Kristian’s research focuses primarily on three major areas: alternative and indie rock since 1970; vocal music and staged works since 1950; and Mexican and Mexican-American music since the Mexican Revolution. Because of their own background as a queer, mestize scholar from a working-class background, Kristian has a personal interest in the scholarship of musical traditions as they relate to race, class, gender, sexuality, and the formation of individual and communal identities. They also explore how musical traditions interact with other artistic traditions and fields of study. In addition to their research, Kristian is an active composer, songwriter, vocalist, and performer.

2nd year PhD

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Pia Rodriguez

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2nd year PhD

piarodriguez2027@u.northwestern.edu

Pia Rodriguez is a PhD student in musicology at Northwestern University. She holds a BM in Music Education with a minor in religion from Trinity University. Her research primarily explores sacred music through interdisciplinary approaches, with special attunement to grief, temporality, and the relationships individuals and institutions create with the divine. Her undergraduate senior honors thesis utilized phenomenology and hermeneutics to discuss Dvorak’s amplification of his paternal grief through alignment with the divine in his Stabat Mater, Op. 58. Beyond her musicological endeavors, Pia remains an active vocalist in church choirs.

PhD Candidate

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Milan Schaller

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PhD Candidate

milena.schaller@northwestern.edu

Milan Schaller is a PhD candidate in Musicology with a certificate in the Slavic Languages and Literature department. They got their academic start as a Cello and French major at UC Davis in California, and hold a Masters in Musicology from Washington University in St. Louis. Their dissertation, heavily based on reception and the idea of connected networks, focuses on the Ballet Russe in London of the 1920s and its connections to puppetry, homophobic press, and the folk revival in England. Previous research explored the influence of the Franco-Russian alliance on the early set design and choreographic choices of the Ballet Russe. They have presented on this topic at the Annual Conference of the Francophone Music Criticism Network in Paris, and at the conference on Artistic Migration and Identity in Paris in Montréal; their chapter on this subject was recently published in the book Migration artistique et identité: Paris, 1870-1950.

They also study ideas of heritage, culture, and the mythic past in Folk Metal bands of the 2000s; they have presented on folk metal at the Midwest Graduate Music Consortium, the International Conference on Music Since 1900 held in Glasgow, Scotland, and the Analytical Approaches to World Music conference. Their chapter on literary references and rhetorical devices in Turisas's album The Varangian Way was recently accepted as a chapter in a future book project entitled Progressive Rock, Metal, and the Literary Imagination. They live in Lyon, France, where they can be found walking their dog in the nearby forest or desperately looking for actually spicy peppers to cook some real Californian Mexican food

Nathan Reeves

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PhD Candidate

NathanReeves2020@u.northwestern.edu

Nathan is a PhD candidate in musicology with a cognate focus in anthropology. He holds a BM in Vocal Performance from Furman University and a MM in Musicology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a concentration in medieval and renaissance studies. Nathan’s primary research focuses on musical life of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in Spanish-occupied southern Italy. His dissertation project examines how musical representations of subaltern populations intersected with the production of urban space in the city of Naples. This work is particularly attuned to state practices of spatial and sonic regulation that developed under Spanish colonialism. Nathan pursues complementary research in the history of ethnomusicology, particularly concerning approaches to sound recording and transcription. Additional interests include sound studies, Indigenous studies, gender and sexuality studies, postcolonial theory, and ethnography. Nathan has presented his research at a number of conferences, including meetings of the American Musicological Society, the Society for Ethnomusicology, the Sixteenth Century Society, Binghamton University’s Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, and at events hosted by the Newberry Library of Chicago. He currently serves as Co-Coordinator for Northwestern’s Early Modern Colloquium. In addition to his scholarly pursuits, he remains an avid singer in ensembles of the Chicago area.

Kristian Rodriguez

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3rd year PhD

KristianRodriguez2025@u.northwestern.edu

Kristian Rodriguez (they/them) is a PhD student in musicology in the Bienen School of Music, as well as a Mellon Cluster Fellow in the Gender and Sexuality Studies program at Northwestern. They hold a BA in Music from Texas State University (2016), as well as an MM in Composition from Arizona State University (2019), where they completed and staged a performance of their thesis work, Sueño-Vibrant: A Secular Cantata for SATB Chorus and Soloists with Electric Guitars. Kristian’s research focuses primarily on three major areas: alternative and indie rock since 1970; vocal music and staged works since 1950; and Mexican and Mexican-American music since the Mexican Revolution. Because of their own background as a queer, mestize scholar from a working-class background, Kristian has a personal interest in the scholarship of musical traditions as they relate to race, class, gender, sexuality, and the formation of individual and communal identities. They also explore how musical traditions interact with other artistic traditions and fields of study. In addition to their research, Kristian is an active composer, songwriter, vocalist, and performer.

Pia Rodriguez

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2nd year PhD

piarodriguez2027@u.northwestern.edu

Pia Rodriguez is a PhD student in musicology at Northwestern University. She holds a BM in Music Education with a minor in religion from Trinity University. Her research primarily explores sacred music through interdisciplinary approaches, with special attunement to grief, temporality, and the relationships individuals and institutions create with the divine. Her undergraduate senior honors thesis utilized phenomenology and hermeneutics to discuss Dvorak’s amplification of his paternal grief through alignment with the divine in his Stabat Mater, Op. 58. Beyond her musicological endeavors, Pia remains an active vocalist in church choirs.

Milan Schaller

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PhD Candidate

milena.schaller@northwestern.edu

Milan Schaller is a PhD candidate in Musicology with a certificate in the Slavic Languages and Literature department. They got their academic start as a Cello and French major at UC Davis in California, and hold a Masters in Musicology from Washington University in St. Louis. Their dissertation, heavily based on reception and the idea of connected networks, focuses on the Ballet Russe in London of the 1920s and its connections to puppetry, homophobic press, and the folk revival in England. Previous research explored the influence of the Franco-Russian alliance on the early set design and choreographic choices of the Ballet Russe. They have presented on this topic at the Annual Conference of the Francophone Music Criticism Network in Paris, and at the conference on Artistic Migration and Identity in Paris in Montréal; their chapter on this subject was recently published in the book Migration artistique et identité: Paris, 1870-1950.

They also study ideas of heritage, culture, and the mythic past in Folk Metal bands of the 2000s; they have presented on folk metal at the Midwest Graduate Music Consortium, the International Conference on Music Since 1900 held in Glasgow, Scotland, and the Analytical Approaches to World Music conference. Their chapter on literary references and rhetorical devices in Turisas's album The Varangian Way was recently accepted as a chapter in a future book project entitled Progressive Rock, Metal, and the Literary Imagination. They live in Lyon, France, where they can be found walking their dog in the nearby forest or desperately looking for actually spicy peppers to cook some real Californian Mexican food

2nd year PhD

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Nevena Stanić Kovačević

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2nd year PhD

NevenaStanicKovacevic2027@u.northwestern.edu

Nevena Stanić Kovačević (Belgrade, Serbia) is a PhD student in musicology and a Mellon Cluster Fellow in Global Avant-Garde and Modernist Studies at Northwestern University. Nevena’s research interests span significant temporal, physical, and cultural distances—from neume notation to postminimalism and experimental music. Her work lies at the intersection of gender and politics with a focus on style, performance, aesthetics, and reception. Nevena has presented her research in Europe and the U.S and published articles in Serbian, English, and Georgian. She holds bachelor’s degrees in musicology (University of Arts in Belgrade) and double bass (University of Kragujevac), and two master’s degrees in musicology (University of Arts in Belgrade, University of Miami). Beyond scholarly work, Nevena wears multiple hats as critic, educator, performer, music-art curator, and a non-profit supporter.

3rd year PhD

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Vivian Teresa Tompkins

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3rd year PhD

VivianTompkins2027@u.northwestern.edu

Vivian Teresa Tompkins is a PhD student in musicology at the Bienen School of Music and a Mellon Cluster Fellow in Northwestern’s Gender and Sexuality Studies program. She holds a BA in Music from Furman University (2017), an MSt in Music (Musicology) from the University of Oxford (2018), and a MS in Library and Information Science from Syracuse University (2021). Her research focuses on women’s music-making in late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century England, particularly their performance of devotional music in domestic contexts. She is also interested in pursuing work at the intersection of musicology, library science, and the digital humanities in order to build more inclusive and accessible resources for music research. Outside of her studies, she enjoys singing, journaling, and spending time outdoors.

PhD Candidate

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Ben Weissman

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PhD Candidate

BenjaminWeissman2017@u.northwestern.edu

Ben Weissman holds a BA in English from Haverford College (2014) and a MM in musicology from Northwestern University (2017). His research interests include collaboration, experimentation, electronics, and the voice in the 20th and 21st centuries. He has focused on topics including the proliferation of non-Western vocal technique and style in Western art music, identity and embodiment in the contemporary noise music scene, and early synthesizer film music scores. He has presented research on Dick Higgins’s sound poetry intermedia compositions at the Society for American Music. In his spare time, he enjoys drawing, thrifting, singing, and attending concerts in Chicago.

Nevena Stanić Kovačević

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2nd year PhD

NevenaStanicKovacevic2027@u.northwestern.edu

Nevena Stanić Kovačević (Belgrade, Serbia) is a PhD student in musicology and a Mellon Cluster Fellow in Global Avant-Garde and Modernist Studies at Northwestern University. Nevena’s research interests span significant temporal, physical, and cultural distances—from neume notation to postminimalism and experimental music. Her work lies at the intersection of gender and politics with a focus on style, performance, aesthetics, and reception. Nevena has presented her research in Europe and the U.S and published articles in Serbian, English, and Georgian. She holds bachelor’s degrees in musicology (University of Arts in Belgrade) and double bass (University of Kragujevac), and two master’s degrees in musicology (University of Arts in Belgrade, University of Miami). Beyond scholarly work, Nevena wears multiple hats as critic, educator, performer, music-art curator, and a non-profit supporter.

Vivian Teresa Tompkins

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3rd year PhD

VivianTompkins2027@u.northwestern.edu

Vivian Teresa Tompkins is a PhD student in musicology at the Bienen School of Music and a Mellon Cluster Fellow in Northwestern’s Gender and Sexuality Studies program. She holds a BA in Music from Furman University (2017), an MSt in Music (Musicology) from the University of Oxford (2018), and a MS in Library and Information Science from Syracuse University (2021). Her research focuses on women’s music-making in late seventeenth- and early eighteenth-century England, particularly their performance of devotional music in domestic contexts. She is also interested in pursuing work at the intersection of musicology, library science, and the digital humanities in order to build more inclusive and accessible resources for music research. Outside of her studies, she enjoys singing, journaling, and spending time outdoors.

Ben Weissman

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PhD Candidate

BenjaminWeissman2017@u.northwestern.edu

Ben Weissman holds a BA in English from Haverford College (2014) and a MM in musicology from Northwestern University (2017). His research interests include collaboration, experimentation, electronics, and the voice in the 20th and 21st centuries. He has focused on topics including the proliferation of non-Western vocal technique and style in Western art music, identity and embodiment in the contemporary noise music scene, and early synthesizer film music scores. He has presented research on Dick Higgins’s sound poetry intermedia compositions at the Society for American Music. In his spare time, he enjoys drawing, thrifting, singing, and attending concerts in Chicago.