Emily Frey

Emily Frey is an Assistant Professor of Music at Brandeis University, specializing in musicology with a focus on Russian opera, 19th-century cultural history, and interdisciplinary studies. She holds a Ph.D. in Music History from the University of California, Berkeley, an M.Phil. in Musicology from Cambridge University, and a B.A. in Russian Literature and Music from Amherst College.

Her research bridges music and literature, particularly examining the intersections of Russian opera with psychological prose, realism, and political contexts. Recent work includes The Realist Empire: Music and Drama in Imperial Russia and articles in Journal of the American Musicological Society and Rimsky-Korsakov and His World.

Professor Frey has been recognized for her teaching with awards such as the Outstanding GSI Award (UC Berkeley) and the university-wide Teaching Effectiveness Award. She has held faculty roles across music, Russian studies, and comparative literature departments, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches.

Her publications explore topics like Tchaikovsky’s operas, Stravinsky’s literary engagements, and the role of music criticism in imperial Russia. She actively contributes to scholarly discussions on nationalism, gender, and performance practices in Russian cultural history.