Jennifer Kyker

Jennifer W. Kyker is an Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology holding a joint appointment at the University of Rochester: as Associate Professor of Music in the Arthur Satz Department of Music (School of Arts & Sciences) and Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology at the Eastman School of Music. She earned her PhD in Ethnomusicology from the University of Pennsylvania (2011) and a BA from Mount Holyoke College. Her work focuses on Zimbabwean musical traditions, postcolonial cultural dynamics, and the role of music in addressing social issues like HIV/AIDS. Kyker’s research combines ethnographic fieldwork with digital humanities, notably through her ACLS-funded project Sekuru’s Stories, an interactive archive exploring the life of Shona mbira musician Sekuru Tute Chigamba.

Her research interests span ethnomusicology, Zimbabwean music history, ritual practices, and instrument studies, with publications in journals like Ethnomusicology and American Journal of Public Health. She has been recognized with prestigious fellowships, including Fulbright and Fulbright-Hays grants, and received Mount Holyoke’s Mary Lyon Award (2013) for her non-profit work via Tariro, which supports education for vulnerable Zimbabwean girls. Kyker teaches courses on world music and actively bridges academic research with community engagement through public humanities projects.

• Education: PhD, University of Pennsylvania (2011); BA, Mount Holyoke College
• Awards: ACLS Fellowship, Fulbright, Mary Lyon Award
• Key Projects: Sekuru’s Stories, Tariro Foundation

Her publications analyze topics such as mbira performance, musical bows, and the intersection of music with gender, health, and postcolonial politics. Kyker’s work emphasizes “from below” perspectives, centering marginalized voices in African musical historiography.