Alumni News

Alumna Dr. Rachel Short ‘16 contributed to an Institute for Creativity article on public music theory, titled “Music Theory, Professional Conferences, and Community Engagement.” Short and her collaborators focused on the concept of bringing music theory to public spaces, allowing interested parties outside of academia access to information that would normally be reserved for presentations at universities and conferences. Short was also interviewed about her personal experiences presenting music theory in public spaces during the 2019 Society for Music Theory annual meeting. Short earned a PhD in Music Theory from UC Santa Barbara, where she studied with professors Lee Rothfarb and Pieter van den Toorn.

Alumna Dr. Stephanie Choi ‘20 was featured as a panelist for The New Yorker’s “Expert Perspectives: K-pop In America” video, which was released on YouTube on December 8, 2020. The New Yorker’s “Expert Perspectives: K-pop In America” is a discussion among six experts from the fields of political science, philosophy, cultural studies, ethnomusicology, music production, and music journalism. The experts shared their opinions on the political economy, music structure, masculinity, authenticity, and intimate labor of K-pop in the American market. Choi earned a PhD in Ethnomusicology from UC Santa Barbara, where she worked primarily with professors David Novak, Tim Cooley, and George Lipsitz.