Lisa Urkevich
Dr Lisa Urkevich is Professor of Musicology/Ethnomusicology and Chair of the Department of Music and Drama at the American University of Kuwait. She was recently appointed general editor of the College Music Society (CMS) Symposium, overseeing all ten publications of CMS, which is the largest academic music organisation in the world. In 2015-16 she was a Visiting Scholar at Harvard University. She was the 2015 recipient of the Alumna of the Year Award from the University of Maryland, USA.
Music and Traditions of the Arabian Peninsula
The Arabian Peninsula covers an impressive physical area with remarkably diverse terrains within which reside variegated, ancient cultures. Regardless of the fact that music has played an important role in so many communities for so long, music research has been lacking due to the breadth of the land, a dearth of documents, and socio-political obstacles. This talk will discuss findings based on two decades of fieldwork covering thousands of Peninsula miles, as presented in her book Music and Traditions of the Arabian Peninsula (Routledge). In this talk Urkevich will also review key concepts and share research experiences in dealing with the many geographical areas, subcultures, and rich and dynamic performing arts of the Arabian Peninsula.