Sonia Gaind-Krishnan

Sonia Gaind-Krishnan is an Assistant Professor of Practice at the University of the Pacific (Stockton), specializing in medical ethnomusicology and sound studies. Her research explores intersections of music, healing, and cultural identity, with a focus on Chishti Sufi traditions in North India/Pakistan, gendered vocal practices in South Asian diaspora music, and pan-cultural epistemologies of sound. She holds a PhD from NYU (2021) and has been recognized with the Society for Asian Music’s Martin Hatch Prize (2019).

Education:

• PhD 2021: New York University (Ethnomusicology & Sound Studies)
• MM 2008: University of Texas at Austin (Ethnomusicology)
• BA 2005: University of California, Berkeley (Music)

Research & Editorial Work: She edited the SEM Newsletter and contributed to Asian Music. Current projects include co-editing the volume Beyond Medical Ethnomusicology. Her writing examines liminality, affect, and 'love' configurations through sound.

Awards:

• Henry M. MacCracken Fellowship (NYU)
• Critical Language Scholarship (Urdu, Lucknow)

Creative Work: Active as a poet, songwriter, and vocalist in Western choral and Hindustani classical traditions.