Ruth Mueller
Ruth MUELLER, Ph.D. is a Lecturer of Music and Culture in the Department of Music at Washington University in Saint Louis. She received her Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from the University of Sheffield in 2013. Her research interests lie in South Korean traditional music and cultural preservation, gender, identity, and women’s studies. Ruth is an expert in the instruments of East Asia and has written the section on Chordophones: Zithers for the forthcoming Sage Encyclopedia of Music and Culture. She has conducted field research in South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and is currently the Editor of the Newsletter of the Association for Korean Music Research and Book and CD Review Editor of Asian Musicology.
Daya Madhur
After completing her undergraduate degree in Music Education from the University of Regina in 2009, Daya Madhur was hired by the Regina Public School Board to serve as a French Immersion Arts Education Specialist Teacher, teaching approximately 600 at-risk youth music, dance, drama, and visual art. Since starting graduate studies Daya’s research has focused on “Fostering Communities among Middle-year Students through Song and Dance Practices.” Working with students aged 9 to 12 she explores the communities they feel connected to, allowing them to record and learn from song and dance practices within these groups, and promoting an understanding of the depth of their identity. By welcoming artists and Elders into the classroom, Daya’s research focus is on how song and dance can be used to create group cohesion.
Judith Cohen
Dr. Judith Cohen is an ethnomusicologist and singer. Originally from Montreal, she lives in Toronto, where she teaches at York University. Among her specialties are Sephardic music of Morocco, Turkey, Greece and elsewhere, traditional music of Spain and Portugal, music and dance of the Balkans, French Canadian and Yiddish songs; and pan-European balladry. She is the General Editor and Consultant for the Alan Lomax Spanish Recordings, and a former president, as well as honorary lifetime member, of the Canadian Society for Traditional Music. She recently returned to Canada from Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany and Holland, where she gave conference papers and lectures, as well as several concerts and workshops.
Sydney Hutchinson
Sydney Hutchinson is assistant professor of ethnomusicology and Judith Seinfeld Distinguished Faculty Fellow at Syracuse University. She is also the author of numerous books and articles on Caribbean and Latino music and dance, including Salsa World: A Global Dance in Local Contexts and Tigers of a Different Stripe: Performing Gender in Dominican Music. Formerly a member of Razz M’Tazz Mambo Company in New York City (as dancer) and various salsa bands (as pianist), she also enjoys playing accordion and yodeling.
Anne K. Rasmussen and Anne Elise Thomas
Anne K. Rasmussen, Professor of Music and Ethnomusicology is the founding Director of the William and Mary Middle Eastern Music Ensemble, a university based group that has worked with well over 50 guest artists over the past two decades. Anne Elise Thomas, a founding member of Rasmussen’s ensemble went on to earn her Ph.D. in ethnomusicology with a dissertation that explores music transmission and pedagogy in Jordan and Egypt. Both ethnomusicologists have used performance as a methodology for research and teaching, and both have performed and taught Arab music for nearly twenty years.
Sara McGuinness
Sara McGuinness (UK) has played Cuban music most of her life. She lives in London and as well as playing with her bands Sarabanda, and Grupo Lokito she runs a Cuban Big Band and teaches regular workshops in Cuban music. She travels regularly to Cuba, where she runs an annual Cuban music course in Havana.
Yvette Rodgers
Yvette Rogers is the Outreach Coordinator for the Celtic Colours International Festival. She works with dozens of non-profit organizations, community groups, and institutions around the island, which collectively produce more than 250 events during the festival, annually. Yvette coordinates the “Celtic Colours in the Schools Program”, a performance-based presentation featuring festival artists, and “Roots in the Room”, a program that brings artists and industry professionals into classrooms for discussion and demonstrations on how culture and the arts have become a significant part of their livelihood. In addition to her work with Celtic Colours, Yvette works independently as a community facilitator.
Eric Favaro
Dr. Eric Favaro has enjoyed an illustrious career as a music educator and arts education administrator. Since retiring from the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Early Childhood Services as Arts Education Consultant, he operates his consulting firm, Artscape Consulting Ltd., specializing in matters relating to Arts Education including curriculum development, pre-service training, and teacher professional development.
