Justin Balcor

Justin Balcor is an Adjunct Instructor of African Drumming at Centre College, where he leads the African Ensemble. He concurrently serves as District World Music Instructor for Fayette County Public Schools, teaching world music ensembles and ethnography at middle/high school levels.

His educational background includes:

• BA in Music (Percussion) from Berea College
• MM in Music Education from Eastern Kentucky University
• MA in Musicology/Ethnomusicology from University of Kentucky
• Current PhD candidate in Musicology at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Research focuses on ethnomusicology with dual specializations:

• Musical constructions of masculinity and national identity in Georgia
• Sub-Saharan African performance traditions (Ewe percussion, Zimbabwean mbira)

His work examines intersections of music, gender, and cultural power dynamics.

Awards and fellowships include:

• Foreign Language & Area Studies Fellowships (FLAS)
• American Councils Research Award for fieldwork in Georgia
• Kresge Mini Grant
• Lyman T. Johnson Fellowship

Professional affiliations: Society for Ethnomusicology, American Musicological Society, International Council for Traditional Music and Dance, and Association for Slavic, East European & Eurasian Studies. Previously directed Kentucky Refugee Ministries’ Children’s Choir and SambaLEX ensemble.