Dr. Lindsay Pope has been named winner of the most recent Julius Herford Dissertation Prize.
Pope’s dissertation, entitled “Beyond the Binary: The Intersection of Gender and Cross-Cultural Identity in Reena Esmail’s Life and Choral Works,” was called by the review committee members “a remarkable story, so needed by musicians and all of society.” They added, “Brilliant treatment of a most complex situation and a great musical talent, poetically written. The music is powerful, and the author’s analysis and discussion of each work was mesmerizing.”
The research was conducted as part of Pope’s 2019 D.M.A. degree earned in choral conducting from the University of North Texas, where she worked under Dr. Allen Hightower, Dr. Richard Sparks, Dr. Rebecca Geoffroy-Schwinden, and Dr. Vivek Virani.
In response to receiving news of her award, Pope noted, “I am so proud of this accomplishment, as I poured my heart into this work and it is affirming to be acknowledged. I am especially grateful that Reena Esmail’s music will be further elevated by this platform and that conversations about cultural difference in choral music may be more thoughtfully considered.”
Winners of the annual Julius Herford Dissertation Prize are determined by the Julius Herford Prize Subcommittee of ACDA’s Research and Publications Standing Committee. The prize is awarded to an outstanding doctoral terminal research project in choral music. Projects are eligible if they are the principal research component of the degree requirements and where degrees were conferred in the year prior to nomination.
The winner of the Julius Herford Dissertation Prize receives a $1,000 cash award and a commemorative plaque.
Richard Sparks says
Lindsay did literally FANTASTIC work on this dissertation. It’s quite simply brilliant. I take no credit for it—she did the work!