Julia Byl

Julia Byl is an Associate Professor in the Music Department at the University of Alberta, Faculty of Arts. She holds a PhD in ethnomusicology from the University of Michigan and has held academic positions at King's College London, the University of Illinois, and St. Olaf College. Her research focuses on the intersection of music and historical memory, particularly in Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean region. Key projects include studies on Toba Batak music in North Sumatra, musical flows in the Indian Ocean, and current work on music and institutions in East Timor.

Her academic journey includes post-doctoral fellowships funded by the European Research Council and the Killam Trusts, alongside grants from organizations like the Luce Foundation and SSHRC. She has published widely on topics such as religious music, colonial-era musical practices, and decolonial music historiography.

Teaching interests include global music studies, ethnomusicology, and world music pedagogy. She has developed courses like MUSIC 186 (Musical Life Today) and MUSIC 365 (Topics in Ethnomusicology), emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to music's role in society.

Julia is actively involved in community archiving projects, including the documentary Poets in the Living Room about Regula Burckhardt Qureshi. She currently serves as President of the Canadian Society for Traditional Music (2021–2024).

Her research explores how institutional frameworks shape musical expression, such as in East Timor's post-colonial context, and how historical musical practices are reinterpreted in contemporary settings. Recent presentations address topics like 'Sonic Ecologies of the Sumatran Highlands' and 'Global Music History methodologies.'