Academics who study the music of diverse cultures will gather at UT this week to explore a variety of themes, from the impact of tourism on music to the role of music in psychological health.
Peaks and Valleys, a conference of the Southeast and Caribbean Chapter of the Society of Ethnomusicology, will be held March 13 and 14 in the Natalie L. Haslam Music Center, 1741 Volunteer Boulevard.
This month, the Haslam Music Center also will host a gathering for tuba and euphonium musicians March 19-21. Participants in the Southeast Regional Tuba and Euphonium Conference will explore topics such as tuba ergonomics and issues facing twenty-first-century musicians.
Dom Flemons, the American Songster, will be the ethnomusicology conference’s featured performer at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, March 13, in the Haslam Music Center. The concert is free and open to the public. Flemons is widely known for his role in reintroducing old-time African American string band music, made famous by groups such as the Tennessee Chocolate Drops, to a new generation. Flemons left the Carolina Chocolate Drops, a contemporary group, in July 2013 to pursue a solo career.
A 5:15 p.m. keynote address that evening is also free and open to the public. Jonathan Ritter will present “Deep Rivers, Vigilant Mountains, Sonic Geographies of War in the Andes.” Ritter is an ethnomusicologist whose research focuses on the indigenous and Afro-Hispanic musical cultures of Andean South America.
More information about the UT School of Music is available online.
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CONTACT:
Lola Alapo (865-974-3993, lalapo@utk.edu)
Leslie Gay, ethnomusicology conference (865-974-7525, lesgay@utk.edu)
Kelly Thomas, tuba and euphonium conference (865-974-6310, kthoma61@utk.edu)