معرفی
Nancy Newman is Professor of Music & Theatre and Joint Faculty in Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies at University at Albany, SUNY. Her scholarship bridges European/American musical practices since 1800 with critical examinations of art music's relationship to popular culture, film, and feminist theory. She chaired the Music and Theatre Departments (2014-2019) and currently researches the Chicago Musical College's first century.
Dr. Newman's educational background includes:
- Ph.D. from Brown University (advisor: Rose Subotnik)
- Degrees from University of Chicago
Her research centers on 19th-20th century music through interdisciplinary lenses: feminist reinterpretations of figures like Alma Mahler (#AlmaToo, 2022), German immigrant musical societies (Germania Musical Society), and film sound analysis (Dancer in the Dark, 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T). She integrates critical theory to explore music's role in social movements (Anti-Rent Movement songs) and identity politics, while maintaining active performance work in electroacoustic and global percussion traditions.
Recent publications reveal deepening engagement with gender studies and digital humanities, transitioning from foundational work on 19th-century immigrant ensembles to contemporary cultural criticism. Her film music scholarship examines sound's ideological functions, while historical projects increasingly incorporate #MeToo frameworks and decolonial perspectives.
Accolades include:
- AMS Ruth Solie Award for Outstanding Essay Collection
- Newberry Library's 2022 Rudolph Ganz Fellowship
- NEH Summer Institute Fellowship (2019)
- Multiple society fellowships (AMS, Music Library Association, etc.)
Dr. Newman secured major grants for her Anti-Rent Movement critical edition and Chicago Musical College monograph through NEH and library association funding. Her editorial work spans Grove Dictionary of American Music and interdisciplinary journals, with supervision of departmental mergers demonstrating administrative leadership. Performance projects include U.S. premieres of electroacoustic works and collaborative improvisations.
She actively participates in West African drumming and Indonesian gamelan ensembles, reflecting her commitment to embodied musical practice across cultural traditions, while directing archival projects like the Anti-Rent Movement song recordings with student collaborators.
