Music Faculty Lecture Series – Jonathan T. King: Modernity and the Five-String Banjo – A Japanese Perspective

This first music faculty lecture for 2018-19 will be presented by Assistant Professor of Music Jonathan T. King at at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 25 in Karpen Hall, Laurel Forum. These lectures are free and open to everyone.

King, who has directed student groups as diverse as the Bluegrass Ensemble and AfroPop Ensemble, will discuss his summer in Matsuyama, Japan, and his developing ethnomusical project, which touches on history, aesthetics and anthropology. He provides this description:

Modernity and the Five-String Banjo: A Japanese Perspective

Japan is often framed as an exemplar of contemporary modernism. Bluegrass often serves as a rustic marker of acoustic authenticity.  Why are these stringband sonic signifiers of interest to Japanese musicians? Why are North Carolinians compelled enough to visit Japan and engage this aesthetic diaspora? Is there more to this cultural exchange than meets the ear? 

For more upcoming UNC Asheville music events, visit the Music Department website or scroll down to “Tags” and click on “music.”