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Gems of the AMRC collections: Dan Fong

Kathryn Grace Bistodeau — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 21:28:29 +0000

Gems of the AMRC collections: Dan Fong Kathryn Grace 鈥� Mon, 02/10/2025 - 14:28

Kathryn Bistodeau

Photos: Dan Fong
To request permission to reproduce these photos, please email sabine.kortals@colorado.edu.

Among the American Music Research Center (AMRC) collections, hidden gems exist around every corner: 蜜糖直播 history, music legends, big band ephemera, silent film scores, letters from 蜜糖直播 Boulder founders and more. In our new series鈥�Gems of the AMRC collections鈥攚e aim to spotlight their content and the stories of the people behind them.

Our first deep dive explores the Dan Fong Collection comprising folders of photos captured by the legendary 蜜糖直播 rock 'n' roll and folk music photographer.

Fong鈥檚 start in photography wasn鈥檛 music at all, but a chance to capture the president at the time: Dwight D. Eisenhower. 鈥淪ince I was such a little kid, all the photographers let me stand in the front. To me, those photos are amazing because at 14, I could tell that I already had the eye and the way to compose the pictures鈥攑lus they were really sharp and in focus.鈥�

From there, Fong (Mktg. 鈥�70) continued to take photos and started his own photography business after graduating from 蜜糖直播 Boulder. 鈥淚 did everything from bar mitzvah photographs to portraits to weddings,鈥� he recalls. 鈥淭he biggest break came when KFML鈥攖he underground radio station鈥攅nded up three blocks from my studio. I went down there and made a deal with them: 鈥業鈥檒l take photographs of the artists and give them to you for your advertising and you do radio commercials for me.鈥� That was a big deal because that鈥檚 when I met all of the record guys.鈥�

Fong鈥檚 photography is highly varied鈥攆rom family portraits to posed album covers to current events photojournalism. But what he鈥檚 best known for is his 1970s concert photography. In his career, Fong photographed the Doobie Brothers, the Grateful Dead, Zephyr, The Who, Firefall, Fleetwood Mac and many others.

Stars of the collection include concert photos captured on the 蜜糖直播 Boulder campus. There are shots of Otis Taylor performing with Zephyr on the steps of Norlin Library. There鈥檚 also a series of photos taken in Folsom Field featuring Firefall and a very familiar horizon.

Firefall at Folsom Field.

鈥淚 climbed up in the scaffolding to take all of those pictures of the people in the background and that teaches you not to be embarrassed鈥攂ecause, you know, 50,000 people are looking at you!鈥�

A few years ago, Fong began thinking about how to ensure his collection outlived him and welcomed the opportunity to house his collection at 蜜糖直播 Boulder. 鈥淚鈥檝e known a lot of photographers who didn鈥檛 think about archiving their work鈥攁nd then something would happen, people would throw their work away or it wouldn鈥檛 go to the same place,鈥� he says.

鈥淢y collection is huge and I had been thinking about what to do with it, so I asked Megan [Lead Archivist Megan Friedel] whether she was interested in archiving my entire collection. Had Megan and the university not said yes, so many of these images鈥ou'd never see them.鈥�

Otis Taylor and Zephyr on the steps of Norlin Library.

Even the Eisenhower photographs were nearly lost to time. 鈥淚 lost that film in a moving box in my parents鈥� basement for 50 years鈥攂ut when my mom died, I found the box. The university has a bunch of those photographs now.鈥�

Through the years, Fong has changed cameras, gone from film to digital photography and evolved editing strategies鈥攂ut he says the main change to his photography is how comfortable he has gotten behind the lens. 鈥淏eing a photographer is like being a basketball player,鈥� he shares. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like Caitlin Clark鈥攜ou practice it and it鈥檚 muscle memory. That鈥檚 what happens after years of being a photographer.鈥�

The AMRC will host an exhibit with photographs from the Dan Fong Collection in April鈥攕tay tuned for details. Ongoing, the Dan Fong Collection is available to researchers and the public by appointment.

The American Music Research Center collections, housed in the 蜜糖直播 Boulder Libraries Archives in Norlin Library, comprise the region's largest repository of archival music materials. In this spotlight, discover 蜜糖直播鈥檚 involvement in the rock and folk eras through the Dan Fong Collection.

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Libraries hire new archivist for the Glenn Miller Collection

Anonymous — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 06:00:00 +0000

Libraries hire new archivist for the Glenn Miller Collection Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/12/2024 - 00:00

The Glenn Miller Collection now has a dedicated archivist in the University Libraries whose job will be to review and catalog over 1,400 boxes of artifacts from the legendary big band era musician who once attended 蜜糖直播 Boulder.

In 1923, Alton Glen 鈥淕lenn鈥� Miller attended 蜜糖直播 Boulder for three semesters before becoming one of the most successful big band musicians of the 20th century. A gift from a group of committed jazz supporters allowed the University Libraries to hire an archivist to review and catalog the boxes safely secured in the Libraries Rare and Distinctive Collections (RaD).

The new archivist, A. R. Flynn, joined the Libraries after receiving a Master鈥檚 in Library and Information Science from the University of Denver. In this profile we discuss Flynn鈥檚 history and interest in this project.

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Michael Sy Uy to direct American Music Research Center

Anonymous — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 16:26:49 +0000

Michael Sy Uy to direct American Music Research Center Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 04/24/2024 - 10:26

Marc Shulgold

Michael Sy Uy has been recently appointed the director of the American Music Research Center (AMRC) at the 蜜糖直播 Boulder College of Music, and the newest member of our musicology faculty. A quick glance at the impressive biography of Michael Sy Uy begs two immediate questions鈥攅ach eliciting chuckles from him during a call from his current office at Harvard University where he鈥檚 a music lecturer.

鈥淸In the United States,] I pronounce my last name 鈥榃ee,鈥欌€� he replies to Question No. 1, explaining that his family is Chinese-Filipino. 鈥淢y parents immigrated from Manila and I was born in Las Vegas. I grew up in southern California.鈥�

Question No. 2 addresses the bottom of his bio, which notes that Uy 鈥渂iked across the United States, from California to Massachusetts, in 42 days.鈥�

So, the obvious query: Will he peddle his way from Massachusetts to begin his new position in Boulder? More laughter. 鈥淎ctually, I thought about it鈥攂ut only for a minute.鈥� Instead, he鈥檒l pack his bags and drive west to assume a critical role at our college.

鈥淭he center provides an excellent opportunity for a researcher and professor,鈥� he says. 鈥淚n Boulder, I can immerse myself in the center鈥檚 archives, as well as incorporate the material in my teaching.鈥�

Uy has a rich background in academia: He鈥檚 published a book on public and private arts funding and his other work appears in American Music, Journal of the Society for American Music, Journal of Musicology, and Music and Arts in Action. He鈥檚 also the recipient of several prestigious teaching awards and served as the Allston Burr Resident Dean of Dunster House and Assistant Dean of Harvard College from 2017 to 2023.

Uy is enthusiastic about the wide-ranging responsibilities and activities ahead of him. 鈥淚 want to gain a deeper understanding of how the center operates and learn from its remarkable previous directors,鈥� he says. 鈥淔rom them, the advisory board and others, I can think about how best to realize the center鈥檚 mission and how to achieve the goals of helping students and the community engage with our archival material. Perhaps our amazing performers within the College of Music students and faculty can showcase this music.

鈥淚 look forward to working with both undergraduate and graduate students, and I hope to continue to raise the profile of the AMRC.鈥�

Uy also speaks in admiration of the college鈥檚 universal musician mission to develop well-rounded, multiskilled students. 鈥淚 think the work of the center ties in with this mission perfectly,鈥� he says. 鈥淭hrough what we do, what we research and what we write, we can all learn more about ourselves.鈥�

鈥淲e should remember the AMRC鈥檚 location and history as part of the 鈥楢merican West,鈥欌€� he adds. 鈥淚ntegral to our work will be documenting, preserving and performing the contributions of Native Americans, Chicanos, Asian Americans and African Americans. This is what America really looks and looked like.

鈥淎t the AMRC, we can support this research, preservation and history sharing.鈥�

The first person in his family to attend college in the United States鈥攅arning a bachelor鈥檚 at the University of California, Berkeley; a master鈥檚 at Oxford University; and a doctorate at Harvard University鈥擴y identifies as a member of the BGLTQ community and a person of color who鈥檚 committed to a more socially just world. He is an avid coxswain, runner and peony farmer.

Welcome!

Our gratitude to Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology Austin Okigbo who served as interim director of the American Music Research Center this past academic year.

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Donor support puts Glenn Miller collections in the spotlight

Anonymous — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 22:16:43 +0000

Donor support puts Glenn Miller collections in the spotlight Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 04/23/2024 - 16:16

蜜糖直播 Boulder鈥檚 vast and historically valuable Glenn Miller collection is set to take the spotlight, thanks to a philanthropy-funded archiving project.

In 1923, Alton Glen 鈥淕lenn鈥� Miller attended 蜜糖直播 Boulder for three semesters before becoming one of the most successful big band musicians of the 20th century. The gift from a group of committed jazz supporters is allowing the University Libraries to hire an archivist to review the campus鈥檚 collection of materials associated with Miller鈥檚 work鈥攁 mostly untapped trove of information about the iconic artist.

鈥淭he personal papers, photographs, music and other ephemera of the legendary Glenn Miller shed light on the man behind the music and open an extensive new collection of research for all to study and enjoy,鈥� said Kate Tallman, assistant professor and interim faculty director of the university鈥檚 Rare & Distinctive Collections (RaD) team (part of the University Libraries). Tallman鈥檚 team manages the collections as part of its American Music Research Center archival collections (AMRC). MORE

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Materials from Boulder blues icon Otis Taylor now housed at 蜜糖直播 Boulder

Anonymous — Wed, 17 Apr 2024 17:58:01 +0000

Materials from Boulder blues icon Otis Taylor now housed at 蜜糖直播 Boulder Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 04/17/2024 - 11:58

Materials from renowned Boulder-based blues musician Otis Taylor are now part of 蜜糖直播 Boulder鈥檚 American Music Research Center archival collections. "...housing his work at the AMRC is the best way to give him the visibility, the recognition and the honor that he deserves, as somebody who has made major contributions to American music and culture,鈥� says Austin Okigbo, interim director of the AMRC which supports the research, performance and preservation of all music of the Americas with a particular emphasis on music diversity from the United States. MORE

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American Music Research Center announces interim director, upcoming events

Anonymous — Wed, 13 Sep 2023 17:37:25 +0000

American Music Research Center announces interim director, upcoming events Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 09/13/2023 - 11:37

Kathryn Bistodeau

The American Music Research Center (AMRC) has named Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology Austin Okigbo as its interim director for the 2023-鈥�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.

Austin Okigbo

鈥淚鈥檝e been involved in the AMRC for as long as I鈥檝e been at the College of Music,鈥� Okigbo says. In the past鈥攁s an AMRC Faculty Affiliate and Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) on the AMRC鈥檚 Soundscapes of the People grant鈥攈e 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. Soundscapes of the People is, in part, funded through a 蜜糖直播 Boulder Outreach Award from the Office for Outreach and Engagement.

This year, Okigbo has stepped in to lead the AMRC鈥檚 events and research projects while a search for a new permanent director is underway. Susan Thomas, the AMRC鈥檚 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.

鈥淢y goal at this point in time is to make sure that the center maintains the things we are doing,鈥� Okigbo says. 鈥淚 want to make sure the programming that we have in place is well executed.鈥�

Coming up in October, the AMRC will host a pair of concerts titled 鈥淪ong of Pueblo.鈥� These concerts highlight the AMRC鈥檚 Soundscapes of the People study that鈥檚 documenting the history of Pueblo, 蜜糖直播, by researching its musical past and collecting oral testimonies.

鈥淲hen you do a project like Soundscapes without something like these concerts, everything becomes confined to the libraries and archives,鈥� Okigbo says. 鈥淣ot 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.鈥�

鈥淪ong of Pueblo鈥� features a folk oratorio composed by Daniel Valdez with an orchestration by two College of Music alumni: Max Wolpert and Ilan Blanck. The events鈥攚eaving together 16 songs and musical numbers that tell the compelling stories of the region鈥檚 early history鈥攚ill highlight the El Pueblo Ensemble, which has been performing the oratorio since its inception, accompanied by the 蜜糖直播 Boulder Chamber Orchestra conducted by Associate Director of Orchestras Renee Gilliland.

鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to my role as interim director,鈥� Okigbo concludes. 鈥淎nd I鈥檓 optimistic that we鈥檙e going to find the right person to permanently lead the AMRC going forward.鈥�

鈥淪ong of Pueblo鈥� concerts are Saturday, Oct. 21, at 2 p.m. in Pueblo, 蜜糖直播 and Thursday, Oct. 26, at 7:30 p.m. in Grusin Music Hall. These free performances are made possible through The Roser Visiting Artist Endowment. 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 蜜糖直播 Boulder campus!

The American Music Research Center鈥檚 interim director, Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology Austin Okigbo, shares the center鈥檚 fall semester highlights鈥攊ncluding free performances of 鈥淪ong of Pueblo鈥� on campus and in Pueblo, 蜜糖直播.

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Meet O'Neil Jones: 2023-24 Porter Fellow

Anonymous — Wed, 26 Apr 2023 20:21:25 +0000

Meet O'Neil Jones: 2023-24 Porter Fellow Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 04/26/2023 - 14:21

Kathryn Bistodeau

The Susan L. Porter Memorial Fellowship is an award that provides scholarship support for a student doing exceptional research that supports the mission of 蜜糖直播 Boulder's American Music Research Center (AMRC). The 2023-24 recipient of this award is O鈥橬eil Jones, a DMA student in choral conducting and literature. Originally from Montego Bay, Jamaica, Jones鈥� goal is to bring Jamaican music to the wider world.

鈥淚 think the world would be very interested in some of this music,鈥� Jones says.

Susan Thomas, the director of the AMRC, says, 鈥淚 was struck by both his passion and his commitment but also by the really unique access that he has to the history and performance practice of a choral tradition of the Americas. His personal experience is really unmatched and very special.鈥�

Jones draws much of his inspiration from his late mentor Noel Dexter, a Jamaican composer. 鈥淢r. Dexter decided that he never wanted to sing about 鈥榠n the bleak midwinter鈥� in a country where we鈥檝e never experienced winter. And so he started writing pieces and from there, other composers saw that we could bridge our language with our folk forms, and create something that was uniquely Jamaican,鈥� he says.

In addition to being inspired by Dexter鈥檚 artistry, Jones also has a personal connection to him. Dexter gave him his first voice lesson 12 years ago.

Jones says, 鈥淗e also encouraged me by giving me a choir to conduct when I was 19 years old and said, 鈥榊ou have the makings of a great conductor. You can do this.鈥欌€�

Through the Porter Fellowship, Jones will work on publishing pieces from Jamaican composers, primarily Dexter. Often, Jamaican music isn鈥檛 published or available to perform outside the island country.

鈥淚 know of less than 10 pieces of Jamaican music that have been published,鈥� Jones says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to create accessibility for people鈥攖o say, hey, this music is accessible, the language is not that difficult, we can send you with these pieces.鈥�

Jones also hopes to bring Franklin E. Halliburton, a Jamaican conductor, musical director and contemporary of Dexter, to 蜜糖直播 Boulder to talk about Dexter and how Jamaican music came to be. 鈥淚t鈥檚 lots of work, but I think it鈥檚 work that needs to be done because Mr. Dexter was a very humble person and even in his passing, the thing that he wanted people to know was that he tried,鈥� Jones says. 鈥淗e鈥檚 literally the only reason I鈥檓 even studying music here today. So I want to honor him that way.鈥�

鈥淚 think O'Neil has a really clear understanding of how his research and his creative work will impact the field,鈥� adds Thomas. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always amazing when we see that from a graduate student. He鈥檚 definitely one of those people that came into 蜜糖直播 Boulder carrying out the mission of the AMRC.鈥�

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Learning the Art of Silent Film Scoring

Anonymous — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 16:39:57 +0000

Learning the Art of Silent Film Scoring Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 04/17/2023 - 10:39

Kathryn Bistodeau

For most music students in the 21st century, the idea of silent films seems strangely far-away. One new 蜜糖直播 Boulder class seeks to change that.

The class, a DMA seminar titled Scoring Silent Film, explores the history of silent films while the students also score the films themselves. Professor of Musicology Susan Thomas co-teaches the class alongside silent film enthusiast and artist-in-residence Rodney Sauer.

Sauer explains that there鈥檚 three ways to score a film. 鈥淥ne is improvisation, where you just sit down and make stuff up. The second is composition, where you write new music for a film, and that can be very effective but it鈥檚 also very time consuming. The third method is what I鈥檓 teaching, which is compilation,鈥� he says.

鈥淭his is where you look at the film, and for each scene in the film, you choose a piece of music that is already in your library, and then you use that music. That saves you the effort of composing and arranging. This is why it was so important during the silent era; a lot of times the movies would change every week, and you just had to come up with two more hours of music every week.鈥�

Students use the Grauman's Theatres Scores collection, part of the American Music Research Center鈥檚 archive, to pull pieces they think will work with the films. The collection once belonged to Los Angeles鈥檚 Grauman Theatres chain, and houses pre-composed pieces that movie theatres would have in their libraries for the live musicians to use. These pieces are digitally accessible due to a National Historical Publications and Records Commission grant.

鈥淚 think my favorite part of the class is just reading all of this music and hearing all of these things that probably haven't been heard for 100 years, or have never been played, because some of it is quite nice,鈥� says DMA student Jonathon Winter. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a long time since I鈥檝e had to be exposed to a bunch of new pieces.鈥�

The class final will be a concert and film screening, showing off the brand-new compilated scores. The class of musicians will present scores for 鈥淕ertie the Dinosaur鈥� (1914), 鈥淕et Out and Get Under鈥� (1920) and 鈥淔ilibus: The Mysterious Air Pirate鈥� (1915) on May 4th in the Imig Music Building.

For the students, this class has introduced a brand-new way of thinking about music in movies.

鈥淚鈥檝e gained this whole appreciation for the art of silent film making and how unique it is and how different it is. Not just from the musical aspects, but just the overall presentation and that live element to it, it鈥檚 such an organic presentation of a film, that I really have come to resonate with,鈥� says DMA student Cameron Holt.

The scores the students create will be available for high school educators who may want to perform these premade scores with their students. Sauer is also creating video tutorials about scoring silent films. Both resources will be accessible on the AMRC website by June 2023.

鈥淲e have created, using these old films, something new and something interesting, which is not at all what I thought I鈥檇 be doing when I picked out this class. But that鈥檚 why you should come, because even if you are familiar with these films, on the off chance you are, you鈥檙e not going to be familiar with our presentation. We鈥檝e created a new and unique way to present these films that I think will be compelling for any audience member,鈥� Holt says.

For more information about the final concert, click here.

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New Alex Craig and Christina Lynn-Craig Living Music Award to be granted spring 2023

Anonymous — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 16:54:49 +0000

New Alex Craig and Christina Lynn-Craig Living Music Award to be granted spring 2023 Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 03/01/2023 - 09:54

Kathryn Bistodeau

The College of Music鈥檚 American Music Research Center (AMRC) announces a new award, set to be granted for the first time this spring: The Alex Craig and Christina Lynn-Craig Living Music Award celebrates the works of late composer Alex Craig. Craig earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in music history and master鈥檚 in composition at 蜜糖直播 Boulder, and held the position of staff accompanist at the College of Music from 1976 until 2011.

This biannual award is open to both undergraduate and graduate students, and supports the performance of Craig鈥檚 compositions housed in the AMRC Archive in Norlin Library鈥檚 Rare and Distinctive Collections. Interested undergraduate and graduate students may apply for the Alex Craig and Christina Lynn-Craig Living Music Award here; the deadline to apply is April 7.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a great opportunity for students to get to know the music of a composer they may not have been aware of, as well as an opportunity for students to work with archival collections,鈥� says AMRC Director Susan Thomas.

鈥淭he inspiration behind the Alex Craig and Christina Lynn-Craig Living Music Award is love and joy,鈥� says Christina Lynn-Craig, wife of Alex Craig and daughter of the former College of Music teacher George Lynn (1915-1989)鈥攑edagogue, choral conductor, organist and composer.

鈥淟ove for my husband and his music. And joy in sharing music he created with people who have not had an opportunity to perform it or hear it, yet. Alex cherished the time he spent collaborating with musicians of all ages and abilities.鈥�

Adds Lynn-Craig, 鈥淚 met Alex when I was in graduate school. We performed together frequently in Grusin Music Hall when I was working on my DMA in voice performance and pedagogy, and when I was on the voice faculty. It made sense to establish a fund at 蜜糖直播 Boulder to encourage students to perform his music.

鈥淚鈥檓 certain that Alex would be excited to know that his compositions will be sung, played and heard again in this special place. I look forward to meeting the students who receive the award and telling them about Alex!鈥�

The Alex Craig and Christina Lynn-Craig Living Music Award comes with a $1,000 prize and supports work that takes place between June 2023-April 2024. After completion of the project the award winner is expected to submit a short report summarizing the work and research accomplished. Activities eligible to receive this award include public performances or recitals of Craig鈥檚 vocal, instrumental chamber, choral or orchestral music; as well as recording projects of all kinds related to the above in the coming year.

The AMRC invites 蜜糖直播 Boulder student musicians, both undergraduate and graduate, to apply for the new bi-annual Alex Craig and Christina Lynn-Craig Living Music Award. This award celebrates the works of late composer Alex Craig, and is set to be granted for the first time this spring.

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Graduate student researchers explore Pueblo's Soundscapes

Anonymous — Tue, 24 Jan 2023 18:05:45 +0000

Graduate student researchers explore Pueblo's Soundscapes Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 01/24/2023 - 11:05

Kathryn Bistodeau

Above: Dr. Susan Thomas and graduate student Ben Cefkin interview Danny Rodriguez for the "Soundscapes of the People" project.

It was a busy fall for the American Music Research Center!

One of the many projects happening in the AMRC is the Pueblo "Soundscapes of the People" project. Two 蜜糖直播 Boulder PhD students, Lydia Wagenknecht and Ben Cefkin, have gotten the chance to work on this project alongside AMRC Director Dr. Susan Thomas, Dr. Austin Okigbo and Dr. X贸chitl Ch谩vez from the University of California, Riverside. Both of these students are studying ethnomusicology and have been working on the project since summer 2021.

The Soundscapes project explores the historical significance of Pueblo, 蜜糖直播 and the culture of the community there, particularly highlighting local music. This research initiative is funded by the National Endowment for Humanities and 蜜糖直播 Boulder鈥檚 Office of Research and Innovation and Office of Outreach and Community Engagement. The team spends time in Pueblo interviewing people and traveling to culturally significant places. For the graduate students, the project requires fieldwork in Pueblo and work combing through the completed interviews and preparing them for archival in the 蜜糖直播 Boulder library.

鈥淭his work entails taking the video and audio from the interviews and editing them, making them more or less usable for the archive, and then we index them, so we add keywords so that once they go into the archive they鈥檙e easily searchable and people can use them for research,鈥� Wagenknecht says.

Through the experience, they鈥檝e enjoyed bonding with community members and learning how to make connections in a new place. Wagenknecht, shown here with Thomas and Ch谩vez, says, 鈥淭his has been a really good chance to be somewhere long term and see how Susan and X贸chitl build relationships- not just extract information from people but also ask how can we help you?鈥�

Cefkin added that he has learned a lot about how interviews are structured and the variety of questions asked. 鈥淲e鈥檝e gotten the opportunity to sit in on interviews that Susan Thomas or Xochtil Ch谩vez have given, and it鈥檚 really interesting for me to see how much of the material that is asked by interviewers doesn鈥檛 have to do with music,鈥� he says. 鈥淭here鈥檚 so much of regular life, culture, family history, local folklore. There鈥檚 so much other background that is important in the interview process to establish cultural information, and it鈥檚 really interesting to see how that fits in.鈥�

Another highlight of the project? The food! Pueblo is known for a specific variety of chile that makes an appearance in many of the local cuisines.
鈥淭he Pueblo chile is a defining aspect of the identity down there. It鈥檚 incorporated primarily into Mexican influenced food and native and Spanish mixture. But it鈥檚 also been incorporated into food from other communities,鈥� Cefkin says. 鈥淥ne of my favorite places down in Pueblo is a little Italian grocery and they have a bunch of ready made filled breads and stuff like that. It has mozzarella, salami, sausage meat and Pueblo chiles- Which is not at all traditional to that style of Italian food, but the Italian communities in Pueblo are incorporating it in.鈥�

Spending so much time in Pueblo has allowed Wagenknecht and Cefkin to understand the culture and history of the area. Pueblo was a mining town, a trading post, and even sat on the international US/Mexico border until 1848.
鈥淸Soundscapes] really is showcasing Pueblo as this very rich cultural center in the state, and that has not been the narrative statewide,鈥� Cefkin says. 鈥淚 think just being able to change how Pueblo is viewed by other 蜜糖直播ans is one very important aspect of this.鈥�

After this project, Wagenknecht said she feels more confident in her ability to take on ethnomusicology alone. She鈥檚 headed to her dissertation fieldwork in Southern Chile in the Spring, and said she understands more how to build a network in a new place.

鈥淚 think that the Pueblo experience has been really nice to see it from the beginning and see how to reach out to people and use connections in the community to reach out to other communities- that kind of snowballing idea, where you talk to one person and ask who they know who would be a good fit for the project,鈥� she says.

Participating in the Soundscapes project has given Cefkin and Wagenknecht a chance to observe professionals in their field and practice getting to know a community. They will both walk away with practical experience and a deep appreciation for the local culture in Pueblo.

Two 蜜糖直播 Boulder PhD students work on the Pueblo "Soundscapes of the People" project alongside AMRC Director Dr. Susan Thomas, Dr. Austin Okigbo and Dr. X贸chitl Ch谩vez from the University of California, Riverside. Both of these students are studying ethnomusicology and have been working on the project since summer 2021.

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