About
Christopher Coady is an Associate Professor and Associate Dean (Research Education) at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, University of Sydney. He holds a BA (Magna Cum Laude) from Skidmore College (USA) and a PhD from UNSW. His expertise centers on historical musicology with a focus on jazz and African American art music, particularly exploring musicians' conceptual approaches to artistic creation.
- Education: BA Skidmore College; PhD UNSW
- Key Roles: Editor-in-Chief of Sydney Undergraduate Journal of Musicology
- Teaching: Undergraduate courses include Jazz Musicology, Jazz Riots and Revolutions; postgraduate supervision in practice-led research
Research interests span jazz historiography, African American musical discourse, and the intersection of music with cultural identity. His monograph John Lewis and the Challenge of 'Real' Black Music (2016) examines mid-20th century jazz innovation. Recent work addresses spiritual practices in Australian music history (2024) and Dean Dixon's transnational musical activism (2021).
He supervises postgraduate students in practice-based research methodologies and has secured grants such as the 2016 Bjorn Barnheim Research Fellowship for his project on Zulu, NAACP, and Civil Rights ideology in New Orleans.
