Music | Penn Today

A band seated on stools performs to a small audience in WXPN’s studio.

WXPN’s Black Opry Residency reclaims Americana as the inclusive genre it can be

In collaboration with Black Opry, WXPN invited six Black Americana musicians to participate in a week-long residency in Philadelphia.

Awards shows have been criticized for their lack of diversity for years. Why are they so slow to change?

Jasmine Henry of the School of Arts & Sciences says that the Grammys honor Black artists just enough to say that they did, not enough to produce truly equitable results.

Person holding headphones in front of mural that reads 'Music'

Who, What, Why

Who, What, Why: Angela Huang’s investigation of K-pop and J-pop fan markets

Angela Huang, a second-year graduate student in the Lauder Institute, examines the evolution of K-pop and J-pop in fan markets.

Benjamin Bagby speaking and gesturing with his hand

Evoking an ancient world

The medieval English epic poem “Beowulf” is brought to life in a musical performance by Benjamin Bagby and academic discussion through a partnership among the Penn Live Arts, the Libraries, and the School of Arts & Sciences.

Musician in Western hat holding a guitar

WXPN seeks Black Americana artists for Black Opry Residency

WXPN is looking for five Black Americana artists for a week-long residency this winter. The brand-new artist development program is funded by the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.

The University of Pennsylvania Libraries acquires archives of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Academy of Music

Penn Libraries has acquired the archives of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Academy of Music, with remarks from President Liz Magill and Constantia Constantinou of Penn Libraries.

The University of Pennsylvania Libraries acquires archives of The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Academy of Music

The historic partnership provides the public access to nearly 175 years of Philadelphia’s rich musical history.

Philadelphia Orchestra donates its entire archive to Penn

The Philadelphia Orchestra has donated almost its entire archive, as well as that of the Academy of Music, to Penn Libraries’ Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books, and Manuscripts, with quotes from the center’s director, Sean M. Quimby.

Wes Matthews leaning in a doorway at the Kelly Writers House

Poet Wes Matthews combines writing, music, research, and service

College fourth-year Wes Matthews is combining writing, music, research, and service during his Penn experience. A former Youth Poet Laureate of Philadelphia, the anthropology major and religious studies minor works at the Kelly Writers House and is a Wolf Humanities Center fellow.

Mary Channen Caldwell and the cover of her book titled Devotional Refrain in Medieval Latin Song.

Listen on repeat: Exploring medieval refrain songs

Music professor Mary Channen Caldwell brings together over 400 devotional Latin refrain songs from the Middle Ages in her new book, the first to explore the medieval refrain in song outside of vernacular contexts.

Filters