In Spring 2025, the Organology Study Group of the American Musicological Society held our first Virtual Organology Discussion Groups, starting with two topical panels followed by Q&A and discussion. These Zoom sessions were envisioned as a means to link scholars who center musical instruments in their work, providing opportunities for junior scholars to interact with leading members of the field, and a way for “lone organologists” to engage with interlocutors outside their home institutions.
This year’s sessions will begin with:
Fictophones: Exploring Imaginary Instruments (Video Recording)
Thursday, February 12th 11:00 AM PT / 12:00 PM MT / 1:00 PM CT / 2:00 PM ET
- Deirdre Loughridge, Professor of Music, Northeastern University
- Thomas Patteson, Lecturer of Music, University of Pennsylvania
Stay tuned for further information about our second and third sessions, coming soon:
- “At the Museum”: Working with Instrument Collections (April 24th)
- Organology Office Hours (Summer 2026)
Zoom links will be distributed in advance of each session via the OSG newsletter (sign up at the bottom of the page).
You can access video recordings of last year’s panel sessions below:
Careers in Organology (Video Recording)
Tuesday, February 4th 12:00 PM MT / 1:00 PM CT / 2:00 PM ET
- Eliot Bates, Associate Professor of Music & Head of Ethnomusicology, CUNY Graduate Center
- Bradley Strauchen-Scherer, Curator, Department of Musical Instruments, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
- Sebastian Kirsch, Director, Collection of Historic Musical Instruments, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
- Boaz Berney, Historical Flute Maker, Montréal, Canada
Pedagogy & Outreach (Video Recording)
Wednesday, April 9th 11:00 AM MT / 12:00 PM CT / 1:00 PM ET
- Emily Dolan, Professor of Music, Chair of Music, Brown University
- Sarah Deters, Curator, St Cecilia’s Hall Concert Room & Music Museum, University of Edinburgh
- Lidia Chang, Assistant Professor of Music, Colorado College
The panelists (as well as Arnold Myers) have shared syllabi and course overviews from their own teaching. They can be accessed here.