An InternatioNOLE Presence

By Jared Finkel

Florida State University is an institution dedicated to the acknowledgment and development of internationalreaching efforts and multicultural affairs, and the College of Music is a prime example of this philosophy.

Our Musicology faculty and students are committed to more than just creating spaces for Western audiences where music and traditions from around the world can be heard and appreciated, but also to interacting with people around the world to create a dialog of understanding, using music as a commonality.

One such example of College of Music faculty working on international-reaching and multicultural projects is Dr. Sarah Eyerly of the Musicology department. Eyerly received the 2021 Music in American Culture Award from the American Musicological Society for her recently released book, Moravian Soundscapes: A Sonic History of the Moravian Missions in Early Pennsylvania. Her first authored book explores the influence of Moravian music on 18th century America and how the relationship impacted the religious music of Native peoples. On the subject of the award, Eyerly said, “I am grateful for the recognition that the Music in American Culture Award brings to collaborative teaching, research and publication in the humanities and to the committee’s recognition of scholarship on early American history that actively attempts to reach non-academic audiences.”

Another faculty member who is dedicated to the history of non-Western culture is Dr. Frank Gunderson, also of the Musicology department. Gunderson currently serves as General Editor of the Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM) academic journal Ethnomusicology and is co-founder and co-Editor-in-Chief of the new SEM journal, the Journal of Audiovisual Ethnomusicology. Gunderson’s research focuses on the music of East Africa, and as a prestigious Fulbright Distinguished Chair Award recipient, Gunderson will be spending 10 months at the University of Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania cataloging the history of the nation’s dance music. Throughout his career, Gunderson has championed the concept of repatriation or “giving back” – whether that be physical materials or sharing educational experiences. “The opportunity to teach graduate students in an African university is something I have always wanted to do in this spirit of giving back,” Gunderson said.

Above, L-R: Members of Afro-Nyota, Grupo Jaraguá, Andean Ensemble, and Mas ‘n’ Steel perform in Opperman Music Hall.

Dr. Panayotis League, a member of the Musicology department and Director of the Center for Music of the Americas at FSU, is dedicated not just to his research, but also to the development and enrichment of different kinds of music in the Tallahassee area. In an interview, League spoke about his research and other activities he has done. League’s research focuses on the music of the Greek Islands and northeast Brazil. As a recipient of the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award, League traveled to Brazil for a project which, in his words, was “awesome.” The project involved the documenting and interviewing of players of forró, a genre of complex Brazilian dance music played on the bisonoric button accordion, a type of accordion that uses buttons instead of a keyboard and produces two sounds per button depending on if the bellows are closing or opening. The project also included the study and transcription of the music itself. League is currently working with a colleague in Rio de Janerio to produce a series of critical edition books on the subject, and they are building a website so the information can be freely available. In 2021, IPHAN (the Brazilian government’s heritage register) named forró part of the country’s cultural heritage, and League will be speaking and performing at an event in Brazil this July commemorating the art form.

In Tallahassee, League is putting on events at the Blue Tavern, a local cafe/bar and music venue. On Tuesdays from 5:00-7:00 PM, the Brazilian community comes together to play music from home, such as bossa nova. This event has become a “weekly anchor” for the Brazilian community in Tallahassee. Also, on the first Thursday of each month is the World Music concert series, which features local or regional artists who are experts of global music that people do not often hear, including Caribbean and Nigerian music. “It’s a really great community thing… [we have a] wide mix of people who come,” said League. Naturally, serving the Tallahassee community is something that League loves to do – not only did his parents meet at FSU, but his mother is a Music Education graduate, and his grandmother was one of the first immigrants from the community to attend the Florida State College for Women.

Of course, the College of Music hosts plenty of international and multicultural events on campus, too. In October, the Housewright Eminent Scholar program hosted Grammy-nominated, Jamaica-hailing jazz pianist Monty Alexander, who led a masterclass and performed with the Jazz Ensemble I. That same month also saw the residency of Grammy-winning artist and activist Bill

Miller, whose work focuses on the Mohican people. In November, the University and the College participated in International Education Month, an expansion of the federally sponsored International Education Week, which aims to promote the benefits of international education and exchange. As part of International Education Month, the College showcased its many World Music ensembles, such as Sekaa Gong Hanuman Agung (Balinese Gamelan ensemble), the Andean Music ensemble, and Mas ‘n Steel, a Trinidadian-style steelband. In March, the College again highlighted these ensembles in the 25th anniversary Rainbow concert, a long-standing celebration of World Music at FSU. That same week in March, the College also hosted early music ensembles Piffaro and El Fuego as part of a celebration of the confluence of Native American, African, French, Spanish, and U.S. music and dance that took place in Florida over its colonial and early statehood periods.

As part of International Education Month, the College featured several international students. One such student is Alaba Ilesanmi, a doctoral Musicology student and director of Afro-Nyota, the College’s African music ensemble. Ilesanmi was recently awarded the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship award for his research on African and African diaspora music. As director of Afro-Nyota, Ilesanmi has been able to share the music of his native Nigeria and other African countries with the public through both the World Music concert series at the Blue Tavern as well as performances on campus.

Another international student of note is I Gde Made Indra Sadguna, a doctoral Ethnomusicology student and a recipient of the Fulbright Grant for Indonesian Lecturers. Sadguna is a professor at the Indonesian Institute of Arts (ISI), Denpasar, an arts conservatory based in his hometown. His work revolves around the study of Balinese instruments and musicians, and at Florida State he is the director of the Gamelan ensemble. Sadguna has performed and given lectures about Balinese music and dance around the world.

On campus, in the community, and abroad, College of Music faculty and students are constantly striving for excellence on an international scale. n

Dr. Panayotis League leads the Brazillian Ensemble, Grupo Jaraguá.