Letter from the Chair

What matters most to our department is our people: our faculty who are creating new knowledge and art, our students who are bringing bold, fresh ideas to their projects and performances, and our staff who are cultivating a department where all can thrive!  This year, more than ever, has felt like a chance to celebrate that, as we welcome to campus many new faces and share our faculty’s remarkable projects that have come to fruition.

This fall, Dr. Evan Harger will step onto the podium for the UNC Symphony Orchestra as its new music director and conductor, following the retirement of Professor Tonu Kalam.  This summer, Professor Harger has been occupied with a number of guest conducting engagements including at festivals in Sofia, Bulgaria and São Paulo, Brazil, and we can’t wait to welcome him into our department, where he will be busy both teaching classes and leading the orchestra.   

Among other new faces, Dr. Deonte Harris brings his expertise to UNC as an ethnomusicologist whose research focuses on global Black studies, African diasporic music studies, critical race studies, and the anthropological study of value. He spent part of his summer on a research trip to London, and we are looking forward to him diving into the classroom.

Hip hop studies and audio production are also enjoying new growth: watch for Dr. Donovan Livingston’s new course offerings on the history of hip hop; Professor Livingston joined the faculty in January.  And keep an ear out for the impact of Pablo Vega’s advanced audio production classes on all of our students; while Professor Vega has been teaching in our department for some time, he has a new, full-time role as Teaching Assistant Professor.   And that’s just the start!

Our students and recent alumni continue to make a difference far beyond the borders of campus.  This year saw six graduate students earn their Ph.D.s in musicology; among them is Dr. Kendall Winter, who received the university’s prestigious Boka W. Hadzija award, which you can read about in this magazine.  And our undergraduates continue to make an impact: check out Bill Moore’s new album, New Piedmont Style; read about Héctor Aizpurúa honors thesis that explores the soundworld of Panama, and join us in congratulating Gabriela Hinckle on a first-place finish at the NATS National Auditions this year.   

You can fill your entire year’s reading list and listening playlist with new albums, books, and articles from our prolific faculty.  While there are too many wonderful new releases to name here (you can find them in the many pages of this magazine), I can’t help but point you toward Heidi Radtke’s Convergence (Navona Records) for a stunning listening experience.

What happens when our faculty converge, you might ask?  In March 2024, we relaunched our Festival on the Hill with Associate Professor Clara Yang bringing to life Ex Machina.  With contributions from scholars, composers, and performers across our faculty and beyond, Professor Yang curated brilliant performance and multimedia experience that asks us what happens when humans and technology collide through art.

There are many other stories to tell this year:  perhaps most notably, our music library has moved to a new location, housed on the 3rd floor of Davis Library, and well worth a visit when you are in Chapel Hill.  And, in fact, we hope you will visit when you can! In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the stories in this magazine that celebrate the people in our remarkable department community.

Jocelyn R. Neal

Professor and Chair