Laura Vasilyeva

Laura Vasilyeva (formerly Laura Protano-Biggs) is an Associate Professor of Musicology and associated faculty in Italian Studies at Johns Hopkins University’s Peabody Institute. Her research focuses on 19th-century Italian opera, environmental catastrophe, and race, particularly examining the socio-cultural and architectural dimensions of opera houses. She holds a PhD from UC Berkeley and degrees from the University of Cambridge, with prior roles as Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania and Visiting Fellow at St. John’s College, Cambridge. Her work bridges academia and public engagement through collaborations with institutions like the Washington National Opera and Opera Philadelphia.

Her research emphasizes the interplay between opera’s built environment and broader societal impacts. Her upcoming book *Opera and the Built Environment* (2025) explores the *teatro all’italiana* as a medium shaping listening and viewing practices, while her new project *Skin: Musical Encounters at the Surface* extends this inquiry. She has published widely in journals like *Cambridge Opera Journal* and *Music & Letters*, with a special focus on Verdi, Bellini, and Meyerbeer.

• Education:
• PhD in Music History and Literature, University of California, Berkeley
• MPhil in Musicology and BA Hons in Music, University of Cambridge

Vasilyeva’s teaching spans seminars on opera history, sound studies, and contemporary musicology. She actively mentors students and encourages collaborative projects with arts organizations. Her awards include the Johns Hopkins Catalyst Award (2018) and the Peabody Institute Dean’s Accelerator Award (2024).

Her research and teaching reflect a commitment to making scholarship accessible to broader audiences, with recent outreach activities including public talks and concert series collaborations.