Garrett Field

Garrett Field is Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology/Musicology at Ohio University, jointly affiliated with the College of Arts and Sciences and the Chaddock + Morrow College of Fine Arts, specifically within the School of Interdisciplinary Arts. He holds a PhD and Master of Music from Wesleyan University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Michigan. His scholarly work bridges music, language, and literature in South Asia, with a focus on Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

• Bachelor of Fine Arts, University of Michigan
• Master of Music, Wesleyan University
• Doctor of Philosophy, Wesleyan University

Field’s research explores the history of song and poetry in Sinhala- and Dhivehi-language traditions, examining intersections between cultural nationalism, modernity, and musical expression. He has published extensively on South Indian classical music, particularly the improvisational form of ālāpana, drawing on linguistic and literary theory to analyze musical coherence, cohesion, and climax. His book Modernizing Composition: Sinhala Song, Poetry, and Politics in Twentieth-Century Sri Lanka (University of California Press, 2017) is a landmark study in the field.

His recent publications span topics including Dhivehi poetic travelogues, prophetic biography in the Maldives, rhythmic structures in Sinhala speech, and improvisation in Karnatak music. These works appear in leading journals such as The Journal of Asian Studies, Modern Asian Studies, and Analytical Approaches to World Music. The articles collectively reflect a deep engagement with oral traditions, linguistic anthropology, and the aesthetics of musical performance, particularly in Indian Ocean contexts.

• Fulbright-Hays Award
• Ohio University’s Baker Fund Award
• Sinhala Language Instruction Grant (American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies)
• Sinhala Language Instruction Grant (American Institute for Sri Lankan Studies)

Garrett Field is also an active performer of South Indian classical music, having studied under B. Balasubrahmaniyan, David Nelson, and Kalpana Venkat. He integrates performance into his research and teaching, and has presented his work at academic colloquia, including at Wesleyan University. He currently teaches Karnatak vocal music at Ohio University and continues to publish on music, language, and cultural history in South Asia.