SYMPOSIUM: MUSICKING COMMUNITIES AND LABOR

Presented in collaboration with the University of Texas College of Fine Arts and Prosper XO, with Professor Sonia Seeman (Butler School of Music, UT Austin) serving as Lead Curator, this two-day symposium examines the realities of musical labor in the contemporary “gig economy” and the structural conditions shaping the lives of working musicians today.

This symposium brings together academic research and lived experience to deepen that dialogue. Academic panels and paper presentations will take place on Saturday, February 14, followed by community-centered sessions on Sunday, February 15, featuring musicians, organizers, and activists. Participatory musical offerings will be interwoven throughout the program, reinforcing music’s role as both cultural expression and labor.

George Lipsitz, KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Research Professor Emeritus of Black Studies and Sociology, University of California, Santa Barbara

Sonia Seeman, LEAD ORGANIZER
Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology, Butler School of Music & Center for Middle Eastern Studies, UT Austin