Pheaross Graham

Dr. Pheaross Graham is a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow at the Stanford Humanities Center and Lecturer in the Department of Music at Stanford University. A musicologist and concert pianist, his work bridges music history, performance analysis, and social justice, with a focus on marginalized concert performers in the 19th-20th centuries.

• Areas of Expertise: Music History, African American Music, Performance Analysis
• Degrees: Ph.D., C.Phil., M.A. in Musicology (UCLA); M.F.A. in Piano Performance (UC Irvine); B.A. in Music and B.S. in Microbial Biology (UC Berkeley)

His research examines the aesthetic strategies of performers like Don Shirley and Sergei Rachmaninoff, interrogating intersections of race, class, and idealism in concert practices. He has co-organized conferences such as Music Performance Studies Today and contributed to publications on Liberace and Rachmaninoff.

Teaching accolades include the UCLA Distinguished Teaching Award and Dean's Medals. Courses taught span Western art music, Electronic Dance Music, film music, and social justice in classical music, alongside applied piano instruction emphasizing biomechanics and sustainable virtuosity.

• Key Affiliations: Stanford Humanities Center, LA Opera (Teaching Artist), UCLA (Researcher)
• Honors: Cota-Robles Fellowship, Arts Initiative Award