Zachary Mowitz (photo credit: Kevin Hsu)

Music Graduate Colloquium and Workshop Series: Oscar Murakami-Smith

Abstract

In this colloquium talk, ethnomusicologist and Western Postdoc Oscar Murakami-Smith introduces the Don Wright Faculty of Music to his research on Balinese gamelan. He will summarise findings from his decade-long engagement with the musical culture of Bali, Indonesia, as a composer, researcher, and performer.

Oscar’s research journey began with an exploration of the compositions of maverick Dewa Alit (New York Times Best Classical Music, 2022). Compositional work such as Alit’s has been driving changes in ensemble structure, prompting a larger study of ensemble practice in Bali. In his doctoral work at UBC, Oscar investigated this topic by combining traditional ethnomusicological methods, including fieldwork, participant observation, bi-musicality, and ethnographic interviews, with analytical methods associated with music theory. He further expanded this methodological approach through computational methods, including quantitative video analysis and onset timing detection.

Oscar’s research significantly expands on the existing literature, offering a more holistic picture of musicianship in Bali’s renowned gamelan ensembles. In this talk, he focuses on the social dynamics and knowledge paradigms involved in playing in a traditional Balinese ensemble, and on how these have changed with contemporary gamelan practice.

Bio

Oscar Murakami-Smith is an Australian ethnomusicologist and composer. He is currently a Postdoctoral Associate at Western University. He holds a PhD in Ethnomusicology from the University of British Columbia and a Bachelor’s in Composition from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Oscar’s research has a strong analytical leaning, bridging the subdisciplines of ethnomusicology, music theory, and music cognition. He serves as co-chair of the joint SEM/SMT Special Interest Group for the Analysis of World Music and is a co-managing editor for the Analytical Approaches to World Musics (AAWM) journal.

Location: Room 101, Talbot College, Western University

The Don Wright Faculty of Music's Graduate Colloquium and Workshop series includes lectures and practical workshops by distinguished guests, our own faculty and staff, and senior graduate students on all fields of research and creative activity in music. For more information visit https://music.uwo.ca/graduate/colloquia.html

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