Bienen alumnus Chris LaMountain ’20 has been awarded a 2020-21 Fulbright Fellowship. He has deferred his Fulbright research award by a year.

Focusing on the devotional music of the Lotus Temple in Delhi, India, LaMountain's project will be a deeper exploration of the research he did as a Circumnavigator Grant awardee at Northwestern in 2019. He plans to compare the musical style of devotional songs at the Lotus Temple with that of other faith spaces to determine the influence of local sacred music on devotional music at the Lotus Temple. The Lotus Temple is one of 7 major global Baha’i temples, but unique in the influence of local religious traditions.

“Despite the challenges posed by COVID, I believe that it will be a unique and important moment in time to capture through such a project, especially considering the musical and religious vibrancy of Delhi,” LaMountain said.

Photo, above: LaMountain before presenting a chant at a musical prayer service in the Lotus Temple in New Delhi, India.

About the Fulbright Program

The flagship international educational exchange program of the U.S. government, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides grants to teach, conduct research, study or participate in specialized internships. Awardees represent undergraduate and graduate students from a range of schools and departments but are united by their enthusiasm to learn about and make an impact on the world. 

Northwestern has once again been named a Fulbright U.S. Student Program Top Producing Institution, with 24 student and alumni recipients for 2020–21. Read more about Northwestern's 2020-21 Fulbright Fellows.