Klaus Näumann

Prof. Dr. Klaus Näumann is a Professor of Ethnomusicology at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg since 2017. Previously, he held a Junior Professorship at the University of Cologne (2011–2017) and conducted research at the Institute for Advanced Study in Essen. His expertise spans Caribbean music (Trinidad/Jamaica), music of German minorities in Poland, popular music studies, and festival cultures. He is currently the Erasmus Coordinator and has extensive fieldwork in Trinidad/Tobago, Jamaica, Venezuela, Poland, Belarus, and Germany.

Education:

• 1993–1997: Music Education (Jazz/Rock/Pop) at Carl Maria von Weber University of Music, Dresden
• 1998–2002: Comparative Musicology at Free University of Berlin
• 2004: Ph.D. (Free University of Berlin) on Parang music in Trinidad
• 2015: Habilitation (University of Cologne) on German minority music in Poland

Research Foci: Ethnomusicological field research methods, music competitions, transnational cultural comparisons, progressive rock analysis, and historical ethnomusicology. He has led projects funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and serves as Vice President of the German National Committee of the ICTM and Chair of the Commission for the Study of Musical Folk Cultures.

Publications: Over 20 authored/edited volumes including works on field research methodologies, music competitions, and German minority music in Poland. His research emphasizes cultural hybridity, tradition revival, and transnational musical identities.