Anne K. Rasmussen

Anne K. Rasmussen is Professor of Ethnomusicology and Bickers Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the College of William & Mary, where she founded the William & Mary Middle Eastern Music Ensemble in 1994. She holds a Ph.D. in Music from the University of California-Los Angeles, alongside studies at the Sorbonne and the New England Conservatory.

• Education: B.A. (Northwestern University), M.A. (University of Denver), Ph.D. (UCLA), Sorbonne (Paris), New England Conservatory.

Her research spans music of the Middle East and Islamicate worlds, focusing on Indonesia and the Arabian Peninsula, as well as music and community in multicultural America. She has received multiple prestigious fellowships and awards, including the Plumeri Award for Faculty Excellence and induction into Phi Beta Kappa. She has directed over 30 student internships in Washington D.C., led international tours to Oman and Morocco, and co-chaired the Arts Quarter Working Group for William & Mary’s new Arts Quarter (2023). Her publications include four award-winning books and over 30 chapters/articles.

As a leader in ethnomusicology, she served as President of the Society for Ethnomusicology (2015-2017) and advocates for undergraduate ethnomusicology education. Her courses, often cross-listed in Anthropology, AMES, and Gender Studies, include topics on Orientalism, nationalism, and multicultural American music. She will hold a guest professorship at the University of the Sorbonne (Paris, Spring 2024).