Sarah M. Ross

Prof. Dr. Sarah M. Ross is a leading scholar and Director of the European Centre for Jewish Music (EZJM) at Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media since October 2015. Her work bridges Jewish music studies, cultural sustainability, and applied ethnomusicology, focusing on the intersection of music, religion, and intangible cultural heritage.

• PhD in Cultural Anthropology of Music, Rostock University of Music and Drama (DFG-funded)
• MA in Ethnomusicology, University of Cologne
• MA in Historical Musicology, Kiel University

Her research projects include:

• DFG Priority Program 'Jewish Cultural Heritage' (SPP 2357/0)
• Objects and Spaces Reflecting Religious Practice in Post-Shoah Germany
• German Jewish Sacred Musical Intersections
• Edith Gerson-Kiwi Letters Project
• Cataloguing the Edith Gerson-Kiwi Collection

Ross advocates for UNESCO-aligned cultural heritage preservation and co-founded the Präsenzen – Netzwerk jüdische Gegenwartsforschung e.V. and the Network for Jewish Cultural Heritage. Her awards include the Hadassah-Brandeis-Institute Research Award (2004).

As a Professor for Jewish Music Studies, she has contributed to academic leadership as Deputy Chair of the Ethics Committee and advisory roles in the EU Higher Education Office. Her publications and editorial work (e.g., Judaism and Emotion, Cultural Mapping and Musical Diversity) emphasize music's role in cultural resilience and policy engagement.