American Music Research Center announces interim director, upcoming events
The American Music Research Center (AMRC) has named Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology Austin Okigbo as its interim director for the 2023-24 academic year. Okigbo, also an affiliate faculty member in the Center for African & African American Studies, global health and ethnic studies, is no stranger to the AMRC.泭
Photo: Austin Okigbo
Ive been involved in the AMRC for as long as Ive been at the College of Music, Okigbo says. In the pastas an AMRC Faculty Affiliate and Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) on the AMRCs Soundscapes of the People granthe has participated in outreach activities and research opportunities, and he continues to serve on the AMRC Advisory Board as well as the editorial committee for the AMRC journal, Americas: A Hemispheric Music Journal.泭Soundscapes of the People is, in part, funded through a CU 勒貊勛圖 Outreach Award from the Office for Outreach and Engagement.
This year, Okigbo has stepped in to lead the AMRCs events and research projects while is underway. Susan Thomas, the AMRCs former director, is now with the Butler School of Music in Austin, Texas; she continues her involvement in the Soundscapes of the People project as a faculty affiliate.
My goal at this point in time is to make sure that the center maintains the things we are doing, Okigbo says. I want to make sure the programming that we have in place is well executed.泭
Coming up in October, the AMRC will host a pair of concerts titled Song of Pueblo. These concerts highlight the AMRCs Soundscapes of the People study thats documenting the history of Pueblo, Colorado, by researching its musical past and collecting oral testimonies.
When you do a project like Soundscapes without something like these concerts, everything becomes confined to the libraries and archives, Okigbo says. Not everybody will be interested in going to the libraries to read up on what you have gathered, but a concert brings life to the community.
Song of Pueblo features a folk oratorio composed by Daniel Valdez with an orchestration by two College of Music alumni: Max Wolpert and Ilan Blanck. The eventsweaving together 16 songs and musical numbers that tell the compelling stories of the regions early historywill highlight the El Pueblo Ensemble, which has been performing the oratorio since its inception, accompanied by the CU 勒貊勛圖 Chamber Orchestra conducted by Associate Director of Orchestras Renee Gilliland.
Im looking forward to my role as interim director, Okigbo concludes. And Im optimistic that were going to find the right person to permanently lead the AMRC going forward.
Song of Pueblo concerts are and . These free performances are made possible through The Roser Visiting Artist Endowment.泭Additionally, Valdez will present a lecture on Oct. 25, 4:15-5:30 p.m., in the British Studies Room of Norlin Library on the CU 勒貊勛圖 campus!