The Global Midwest: The Midwest Goes Out to the World
Sponsored by the Humanities Without Walls Consortium

February 5-6, 2016

This workshop features collaborative research into the archival collections related to world music at the University of Chicago, the University of Illinois and the University of Wisconsin to document and disseminate the history of recording world music that began in the midwest.

Project organizers: Philip Bohlman (U of Chicago), Harry Liebersohn (Illinois), James Nye (U of Chicago) and Ronald Radano (U of Wisconsin, Madison)

Friday, Feb. 5:

Morning

8:30 Coffee

9:00 Welcome and introductions.

9:30 Harry Liebersohn (UIUC) on globalization and music.

10:00 Philip Bohlman (Univ. of Chicago) presentation on history of world music recording.

10:30 Discussion

10:45 Coffee break

11:00 Kira Thurman (Univ. of Michigan), "Are they African or American? German Reception of African American Spirituals, 1870-1930."

Afternoon

2:00 Marc Hertzman (UIUC), “Postcolonial Blues: Making Music after Slavery in Brazil”.

2:30 Discussion

3:30: Visit to Sousa Archive, Harding Band Bldg, 1103 S 6th St, Champaign, IL 61820.

Saturday, Feb. 6:

9:00 a.m. Coffee.

9:30 Tim Taylor (UCLA), “Recorded Music as a Commodity in the Early Twentieth Century.”

10:00 Discussion.

10:30 Martin Rempe (Univ. Konstanz), "Between Pomp and Circumstances: Military Musicians and Musical Exchange in the Global 19th Century."

11:00 Discussion

11:30 Concluding discussion, led by James Nye and Ronald Radano.