FEATURE 100 years, 100 moments: How women shaped a century of music NPR: Miguel Perez To commemorate Women’s History Month, World Cafe is looking back on a century’s worth of music history. Every week in March, they pinpoint distinct moments of every year from the past 100 years, a quarter century at a time. RESEARCH… Read more »
Blog
Weekly Digest: 100 years of mics, Moby Dick at the Met, Who is Bruno Mars?, Kennedy Center changes continue to reverberate, and more.
FEATURE 100 Years Ago Recording Studios Got a New Tool: Microphones New York Times: Ludovic Hunter-Tilney The arrival of the microphone changed not only who was heard in recordings, but also how we hear. “It’s the same experience as people tuning in to watch Neil Armstrong take his first steps on the moon,” Whitelock said,… Read more »
SOUNDTRACK OF THE WEEK #18 – ABZÛ (Music by Austin Wintory)
Those who have played ABZÛ know that it is a simply stunning experience, exceptionally beautiful and entrancing. This is in no small part thanks to the Austin Wintory’s music for the game, equal in its energy and lushness, transporting the player/listener to a world they’ll never want to leave. (I constantly find my breath taken… Read more »
Weekly Digest: Artists’ plea to the NEA, the Met’s new season, California’s support of the Arts, and more
FEATURE Hundreds of Artists Call on N.E.A. to Roll Back Trump’s Restrictions New York Times: Michael Paulson A letter signed by 463 playwrights, poets, dancers, visual artists and others pushes back against new grant requirements that bar the promotion of diversity or “gender ideology.” RESEARCH AND OPINION Why Is an Entire Age of American Opera… Read more »
AlgoRhythms: The World of Music and AI
What does it mean to be a music artist or composer in the age of AI? Will AI enrich or impoverish our musical imaginations? Who will own AI generated music? For the second consecutive year, the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, in collaboration with the Maurer School of Law and partners on the IUB campus and… Read more »
Weekly Digest: Kendrick Lamar’s Halftime Show was Radically Political, Carnegie Hall’s new season, NEA Changes, Sony music rights business surpasses $10bn, and more
FEATURE Kendrick Lamar’s Halftime Show Was Radically Political, if You Knew Where to Look New York Times: Tiana Clark More viewers tuned into watch Kendrick Lamar — 133.5 million people — than any other Super Bowl halftime show. And they witnessed a rousing concert by a 22-time Grammy-winning (as well as one Pulitzer-winning) artist. But… Read more »
Weekly Digest: President Trump’s impact on the Arts, Kendrick Larmar’s impact on the Super Bowl, AI’s impact on Music, and more
FEATURE A Running List of How the Trump Administration Is Impacting the Arts ArtNet: Adam Schrader The National Endowment of the Arts has just updated its grant guidelines in response to the president’s executive orders. NEA nixes grant program for ‘underserved communities,’ shifting priorities Washington Post: Anne Branigin The moves come as the Trump administration’s… Read more »
2025 Innovation Competition Winners
We’re pleased to announce that the winners of the 2025 Jacobs School of Music Innovation Competition! The First Prize was awarded to The Balourdet Quartet with their project, Expedition Strings. Second Prize went to Connie Cai with Project Improv! “We are beyond thrilled to continue developing our newest initiative, Expedition Strings, with the support of… Read more »
Weekly Digest: Artists can Copyright their AI-Assisted Work, America’s First Black Opera Composer, Women are Transforming Pop and Taking on the Grammys, and more
FEATURE Artists can copyright works made with AI assistance: Agency The Hill: Sarah Fortinsky Artists can copyright work they create using tools powered by artificial intelligence, as long as sufficient human creativity is involved, according to a new report from the U.S. Copyright Office. RESEARCH AND OPINION Edmond Dédé, America’s First Black Opera Composer Early… Read more »
SOUNDTRACK OF THE WEEK #16 – Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Music by Yasunori Mitsuda, ACE, Kenji Hiramatsu, & Manami Kiyota)
The “Voices & Video Games” premiered last Friday and was an incredible success! Eight unique arrangements of video game music were performed by the NOTUS Contemporary Vocal Ensemble to a roaring audience; it was truly a night to remember. Two of the arrangements performed were of tracks from Xenoblade Chronicles 2, a soundtrack much too… Read more »