FACULTY SPOTLIGHT

Name: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­Juan Fernando Velasquez
Title: Assistant Professor of Ethnomusicology

Notable Awards & Projects:
Postdoctoral Fellowships
• Michigan Society of Fellows (2019-2022)
Publications
• Articles and essays in journals such as Latin American Music Review, Americas: A Hemispheric Music Journal, and Boletín de Música de Casa de las Américas
• Chapters in books published in Colombia, Germany, Spain, and the United States
Books
• “Los Ecos de la Villa” (Award for Research in Immaterial Heritage by the Municipality of Medellín, Colombia)
• “Inscribing Sounds: Music Technologies and Aural Culture in Late-Nineteenth and Early-Twentieth-Century Colombia” (Contract with Oxford University Press)
Awards and Grants
• Fundación Carolina Grant for the Cátedra Robert Stevenson, Real Conservatorio de Música de Madrid
• Fulbright-Mincultura Scholarship
• Tinker Grant
• Andrew Mellon Pre-Doctoral Fellowship
• Honorary Mention at the Eduardo Lozano Memorial Dissertation Award
• Martin Cole Blaiser Award for Outstanding Service, Center for Latin American Studies, University of Pittsburgh
• Otto Mayer-Serra Award, Center for Iberian and Latin American Music (CILAM)
Projects
• Co-curated “Coleccionistas de Sonidos,” a virtual exhibition on 19th-century Colombian binder’s volumes (See: Coleccionistas de Sonidos)
Professional Roles
• Chair of Graduate Programs, School of Arts, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
• Member of the scientific committee of “Estudios Bandísticos,” Spanish Association of Band Directors journal
• Chair, Ibero-American Music Study Group at the American Musicological Society (IAMSG-AMS)

What are you looking forward to most about coming to the University of Houston?
"I am eager to participate in and contribute to an active and diverse community committed to innovation that promotes collaboration and encourages resilience. In particular, I am interested in the high level of artistic quality and rich learning environment that characterizes the Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts and the Moores School of Music. The School’s comprehensive music training experience, as well as its culturally diverse students, faculty, and administrative body, are very appealing."

What strengths and unique abilities are you bringing to the Moores School of Music?
"As a scholar, researcher, and teacher, I am deeply interested in studying and promoting Latin American and Latinx music from a perspective that intertwines sound studies, musicology, and ethnomusicology to challenge conventional notions about race, ethnicity, and social class. I believe such an approach can facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of music’s contemporary and historical diversity, promoting critical thinking and self-awareness among the students. Thus, I would enjoy teaching courses on Latin American and US-Latinx music, sound studies, global music history, ecomusicology, and music and animation."

What is something you want the students to know about you as you begin this new position?
"I encourage my students to approach music as an experience connecting humans beyond the classroom and the concert hall. For this reason, I constantly advocate for using non-canonical musical repertoires to introduce a full spectrum of perspectives and life experiences while promoting a broader acceptance and respect for differences. I also like to collaborate with my students to develop ideas and projects. For example, In 2023, I led the creation of Músicas Regionales student’s research group at the Universidad de Antioquia, leading a team of six undergraduate and graduate students in the design and development of a musicological research project focused on the archive of the Universidad de Antioquia Symphonic Band founded by the Colombian Ministry of Culture. Outside of instructional design, I have advocated for diversity and intercultural initiatives. For example, in 2016, I participated in creating the Latin Graduate Organization of Students (LAGOS) at the University of Pittsburgh."