Bio
Alyssa Spina is a PhD pre-candidate in historical musicology at the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music History and a certificate in violin performance from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam, where she graduated at the top of her class with Presidential Scholar distinction. She also studied violin abroad at University College Cork in Ireland, was a member of the mariachi group Los Osos Del Norte, and received first prize in the Richard Stephan String Chamber Music Competition as first violinist of the Rice Krispie Quartet. She is a seasonal member of the Half Moon Orchestra and the Orchestra of Northern New York.
Her research interests include Dmitri Shostakovich’s reception in America, Jewish string musicians throughout the Holocaust, the concertizing of Holocaust music, the material culture of the violin, and the intersections of music and politics.
Alyssa’s research has been presented at major conferences and hosted by organizations including the American String Teachers Association (ASTA), The New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA), and the American Musicological Society (AMS). She is also a member of the inaugural cohort of AMS Explore.
When not studying musicology or practicing violin, Alyssa can be found cooking vegetarian recipes, listening to Joji, or thrifting.
For more information, visit www.alyssamusicology.com.
