معرفی
Nathan Lam is an Australian-American music theorist and Assistant Professor of Music Theory at the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester. He holds a Ph.D. in Music Theory from Indiana University, Bloomington, and previously taught at MIT. His research integrates modes, solfège pedagogy, historical theory, mathematical analysis, and multicultural perspectives, with notable work on Chinese pentatonic systems, 19th-century French modality, and Schubert’s diatonic transformations. His monograph Diatonic Modes from Plato to Pokémon merges solfège and set theory frameworks. Lam’s compositions, such as the album Symmetricon featuring 77 canons on 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,' explore contrapuntal symmetry and theoretical concepts. He actively presents at conferences like the Society for Music Theory and leads seminars on topics including trans-cultural instrument studies (e.g., the gehu in Chinese orchestras).
Education: Ph.D., Music Theory, Indiana University, Bloomington.
Research focuses on cross-cultural modal systems, historical theoretical treatises, and the intersection of composition and analysis. His recent work includes studies on Gregorian tonality and East Asian pitch structures.
