معرفی
Todd Decker is a Professor of Musicology, American Culture Studies, and Film and Media Studies at Washington University, where he holds the Paul Tietjens Professorship. He joined the faculty in 2007 after a visiting position at UCLA and previously earned a PhD in historical musicology from the University of Michigan (2007), an MM in harpsichord performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and a BA from Fresno Pacific College. His research focuses on film music, Broadway musicals, popular music history, digital humanities, and Domenico Scarlatti.
Decker’s work bridges scholarship and performance, with notable publications including Astaire by Numbers: Time & the Straight White Male Dancer (2022), Hymns for the Fallen: Combat Movie Music and Sound after Vietnam (2017), and Show Boat: Performing Race in an American Musical (2013). He has received prestigious awards such as the Best First Book Award from the Society for Cinema and Media Studies and the Alvin H. Johnson AMS 50 Fellowship. His current projects explore racial casting in Broadway musicals and Martin Scorsese’s use of music in films like Casino.
- Editor of American Music (2020–2022)
- International partner with the Paris-based Musical MC² project
- Featured in BBC’s 2019 radio documentary on Ol’ Man River
Decker teaches courses on American popular music, film music, and eighteenth-century European art music. His interdisciplinary approach is evident in works like Music Makes Me: Fred Astaire and Jazz (2011), which blends jazz history with cinematic analysis. He also maintains a performance background in harpsichord, piano, and conducting.
