Agnieszka Roginska ‘04 PhD is a professor of music technology at New York University. She conducts research on the simulation and applications of immersive and 3D audio, including the capture, analysis, and synthesis of auditory environments, auditory displays, and applications in augmented acoustic sensing. She is the author of numerous publications about the acoustics and psychoacoustics of immersive audio and auditory displays, and she is the co-editor of the book Immersive Sound: The Art and Science of Binaural and Multi-Channel Audio. Agnieszka served as the president of the Audio Engineering Society in 2020.

What made you choose the Bienen School of Music?

I chose to pursue my PhD at the Bienen School of Music because Professor Gary Kendall, one of the world leaders in 3D audio, my main area of research, was a professor at Northwestern.

Which professors influenced you most during your time at the Bienen School of Music?

Gary Kendall (associate professor, 1976-2008), Robert Gjerdingen (professor, 1995-2018), Scott Lipscomb (associate professor, 2001-2006), and Peter Webster (professor, 1988-2012).

Tell us about a particular experience that impacted you during your time at the Bienen School of Music.

My most memorable times while I was studying at Northwestern were meeting with my mentor, fellow students, and close friends at the Unicorn Cafe over a cappuccino. We would sit for hours, discussing the future of music technologies, human creativity, and the connectedness between science and music. It is during those times that I felt most inspired and realized the infinite potentiality of the human mind and creativity.

What lessons did you learn at Bienen that have continued to resonate with you in your career?

Three lessons:
1) Excellence: be excellent in everything you do.
2) Think big and aim high: you can accomplish anything so you might as well reach for the stars.
3) Do what you love.

Top three of your Desert Island Discs (any genre)

David Bowie - Heroes
The Beatles - White Album
Alfred Brendel - Beethoven: The Complete Piano Sonata