CCM doctoral student selected for the Cleveland Institute of Music's Future of Music Faculty Fellowship
Musicologist Kabelo Chirwa will be a member of the Fellowship’s inaugural cohort
Current CCM doctoral student Kabelo Chirwa has been selected for the inaugural cohort of the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Future of Music Faculty Fellowship Program. Designed as a critical step forward in creating a culture of diversity within the music academy and beyond, the program is powered by a grant awarded in the inaugural cycle of the Sphinx Venture Fund. The career development initiative will engage 35 Black and Latinx music professionals who are pursuing or considering academic careers, preparing them with the skills, insights and networks to flourish professionally and influence generations of musicians.
CCM doctoral student Kabelo Chirwa.
Through a competitive process with more than 160 applicants from 30 states and seven countries, a panel of esteemed college and university faculty members selected 35 fellows based on the strength of their music background, education and application materials, as well as their dedication, skill and drive to succeed within the complex world of academia.
Within the class, 19 hold a terminal degree, with an additional eight in doctoral programs currently; their areas of study include instrumental, jazz and vocal performance; music education; composition; conducting; and ethnomusicology, musicology and music theory. They hail from 20 states across the country and range in age from 24 to 47.
Chirwa is a graduate assistant and PhD student in CCM's musicology program, as well as an Albert C. Yates Fellow. His primary area of research is hip-hop in West Africa and the United States. Specifically, his work interrogates how the transmission of music and culture within Africa and the diaspora can inform one’s understanding of global and local popular music traditions. He is also interested in digital music culture. Chirwa’s interest in digital technologies both considers a broad understanding of digital music culture and centers hip-hop as a music that was created and popularized in the digital age.
"I would like to thank my academic advisor, Dr. Scott Linford, for providing assistance in the fellowship's application process," said Chirwa. "More generally, he has been a wonderful guide and mentor during my time in the musicology doctoral program."
Featured image at top: An illustration from the Cleveland Institute of Music's Future of Music Faculty Fellowship website.
Additional Contacts
Rebecca Butts | Assistant Public Information Officer
buttsrl@ucmail.uc.edu | 513-556-2675
Related Stories
UC education allowed couple to make mark on Cincinnati
April 24, 2024
As a native of Defiance, Ohio, John Deatrick, CEAS ’79, says arriving in Cincinnati to attend the University of Cincinnati in 1963 felt like landing in New York City.
Local 12: Local universities open Taylor Swift courses
April 22, 2024
In the lead up to the release of Taylor Swift's new album, "The Tortured Poets Department," several media outlets covered classes offered at UC that focus on the singer's music and poetry. UC offers three classes that cover the pop icon: a general music course at CCM and two classes at A&S.
CCM alums win prestigious grants from the Sphinx Organization
April 22, 2024
The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music is thrilled to congratulate alums Titilayo Ayangade (BM Cello, ’14) and Jaime Sharp (MM Voice, ’22) on their recent wins of two MPower Artist Grants from the Sphinx Organization. Available only to alumni of the Sphinx Organization, these competitive grants are intended to “empower artists’ careers.”