Mackenzie Pierce

Mackenzie Pierce is an Assistant Professor of Music in the Department of Musicology at the University of Michigan's School of Music, Theatre & Dance. He holds affiliations with multiple institutes including the Center for Russian, East European, & Eurasian Studies, CREES Faculty Associates, and the Weiser Center for Europe and Eurasia. His research focuses on 20th-century music with emphasis on Eastern European cultural politics, Holocaust impacts on composers, and Chopin studies.

• Ph.D. Musicology, Cornell University (2019)
• M.A. Musicology, Cornell University (2015)
• B.A. Music and Philosophy, Swarthmore College (2011)

His current book project examines Polish and Polish-Jewish modernist composers affected by WWII and the Holocaust. Research interests include music technology history, sound recording evolution, and trauma studies. His work has been supported by fellowships from the Polin Museum, Kościuszko Foundation, and Beinecke Foundation.

Pierce actively presents at conferences like the American Musicological Society and Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies. He collaborates with international institutions such as the Jewish Historical Institute and the Chopin International Piano Competition. His 2023 article on Chopin and music diplomacy earned the Polish Studies Article Prize.

Grants and fellowships include support from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Polin Museum, and Kościuszko Foundation. His research has led to festivals featuring underperformed works by composers like Roman Palester. Before academia, he advised university leadership at EAB on enrollment and financial strategies.