Lester Hu

Lester Hu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Music Education at the University of California, Berkeley. His research focuses on the intersection of music and empire-building, with a comparative approach spanning early modern Europe and East Asia. He holds a B.A. in French and Music from Amherst College (2013) and a Ph.D. in Music History and Theory from the University of Chicago (2019).

His work explores how music shaped state-building processes in empires, particularly through transregional and cross-cultural methodologies. His first book, Examining Sounds: Music, Empire, and Empiricism in Early Modern China, examines the role of listening in the Qing Dynasty’s governance. Current projects include a comparative study of China and Europe’s feudal formations and co-editing Thinking Music: Global Sources for the History of Music Theory.

Lester has received prestigious awards including the Alfred E. Einstein Award (2022) and ACLS/Luce Fellowship. His research engages with primary source translations, including Classical Chinese texts and European treatises, to challenge Eurocentric historiographies. He teaches courses on Chinese music history, early medieval European music, and global music theory.

• Research Grants: ACLS/Luce Foundation, Townsend Center, CLIR/Mellon, Chateaubriand
• Collaborations: Co-editing Thinking Music with Thomas Christensen and Carmel Raz