Society for American Music

Society for American Music
Name	Society for American Music
Formation	1975
Type	Learned society
Headquarters	United States
Fields	Musicology, Ethnomusicology, American studies

Society for American Music

The Society for American Music promotes study of American music including Native American music, African American music, Latin music, Popular music, and Classical music in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Founded amid scholarly developments in musicology, ethnomusicology, and American studies, the organization engages with institutions such as the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, the New York Public Library, and the Biblioteca Nacional de México.

History

The organization was established in 1975 by scholars influenced by work at Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University, Indiana University Bloomington, and Brown University to respond to shifting curricula shaped by figures from Charles Seeger to Eileen Southern. Early conferences connected researchers from the American Musicological Society, the Society for Ethnomusicology, and the American Folklore Society, and gathered at venues including Julliard School, Carnegie Hall, Peabody Institute, and the University of California, Los Angeles. Over decades the society has intersected with initiatives at the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Library and Archives Canada, and the British Library through collaborative projects, archival access, and advocacy campaigns tied to collections like the Alan Lomax Collection and the John Cage Archive.

Mission and Activities

The society advances research on composers such as Aaron Copland, George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, Scott Joplin, and John Adams while addressing repertoires linked to Minstrel shows, Tin Pan Alley, Gospel music, Jazz, Blues, and Hip hop. It supports pedagogical initiatives at universities including University of Michigan, University of North Texas, Rutgers University, University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, and Vanderbilt University and partners with cultural organizations like the Kennedy Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the Museum of Modern Art. Programming often involves preservation projects tied to archives such as the Society of American Archivists, the Peabody Conservatory Archives, and the Newberry Library.

Publications and Journal

The society publishes a peer-reviewed journal, a newsletter, and monographs that have featured work on figures like Leonard Bernstein, Charles Ives, Philip Glass, Marian Anderson, and Celia Cruz alongside studies of collections from the Smithsonian Folkways and the National Recording Registry. Contributors have come from departments at University of California, Berkeley, Princeton University, Northwestern University, Boston University, and Cornell University, and have discussed sources housed in institutions such as the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts and the Bodleian Library. The society's publications intersect with series issued by Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Routledge, and Indiana University Press.

Conferences and Events

Annual meetings rotate among cities including New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, and Philadelphia and have been hosted at venues like the Lincoln Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Symphony Hall (Boston), Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Chicago Symphony Center. Programs combine panels on music historiography with performances featuring ensembles such as the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Count Basie Orchestra, Thelonious Monk Institute, and university ensembles from Eastman School of Music and Berklee College of Music. Special sessions have highlighted archives including the Alan Lomax Collection, the Woody Guthrie Archives, and the Bessie Smith Collection and collaborations with festivals like Newport Jazz Festival and Monterey Jazz Festival.

Awards and Honors

The society recognizes scholarship and service through prizes named after prominent figures such as the Charles Hamm Prize, the Helen Walker Prize, and awards honoring work on African American music and Latin American music. Past recipients have included scholars affiliated with The Juilliard School, Yale School of Music, University of Pennsylvania, Duke University, and University of California, Los Angeles, and performers connected to the Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center Theater, and Apollo Theater. Awards ceremonies are often held in conjunction with meetings at institutions like the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution.

Membership and Governance

Membership draws academics, performers, librarians, and students from institutions such as New England Conservatory, Conservatoire de Paris, Royal College of Music, McGill University, and University of Toronto. Governance typically includes elected officers and an executive board with representatives from regional affiliates and committees linked to areas of study represented by organizations like the American Musicological Society and the Society for Ethnomusicology. Financial and policy oversight has coordinated with funding bodies including the National Endowment for the Arts and foundations such as the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Category:Music organizations based in the United States Category:Learned societies of the United States