The Department of Music is pleased to announce that two of our Music PhDs—Donna Lee Kwon (PhD, Ethnomusicology, 2005) and Inderjit Kaur (PhD, Ethnomusicology, 2016)—have been promoted to tenured faculty positions at top universities in the country.
In late April, the University of Kentucky (UK) announced that Professor Kwon was among 18 University Research Professors approved for the 2025-26 academic year. University of Kentucky’s press release for these appointments noted that this professorships program “recognizes excellence across the full spectrum of research at UK.” Professor Kwon’s research focuses on North and South Korean music, East Asian and Asian American popular and creative music, gender and the body, issues of space and place, and ecomusicology.
Similarly, Professor Kaur recently received tenure and a promotion to Associate Professor at the University of Michigan’s Music, Theatre & Dance Department. Professor Kaur is a Sikh Studies scholar who specializes in South Asian musical cultures with a focus on Sikh musical worship, and the analytical lenses of phenomenology, and sound, sensory, and affect studies.
The Department of Music is pleased to see the impact our graduate programs are having on the future of ethnomusicology research and academic practices. Congratulations to both Professor Kwon and Professor Kaur on their tremendous accomplishments!