The Lise Waxer NECSEM Prize

Lise Waxer was a Canadian-born ethnomusicologist. She conducted extensive research on salsa music and its Cuban roots and completed doctoral studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Waxer edited Situating Salsa: Global Markets and Local Meaning in Latin Popular Music, a collection of essays on salsa in global perspective. This award honors her memory as a distinguished teacher, scholar, musician, and colleague. 

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2020

Jack Herscowitz

Middlebury College, "The Music of Margot Loyola and Luis Advis: A Model of Memory and Creation in the 'Nueva Cancion Chilena'”

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2019

Dylan Therrialt

Colby College, "Tradition, Inclusivity, and Participation in Maine's Contemporary Contra Dance Culture; an Example of a Progressive Traditional Practice”

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2018

Holland Rhodd-Lee

Wellesley College, “Punch’s Alley: How Commerce and Music Shape Hook-up Culture and Erotic Capital at Wellesley College”

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2018

Franziska Seehausen (Honorable Mention)

New England Conservatory, “A Fresh Look at the Study of Yiddish Folksongs”

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2017

Sayeed Joseph

Skidmore College, "We Gon' Be Alright": Mental Health and the Blues in Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly"

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2016

Lea Peterson

Skidmore College, “My Anaconda Don’t Want None Unless You Got – Feminist Values, Hun”

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2015

Walker Kennedy

Bowdoin College, "Music Streaming Services, Programming Culture, and the Politics of Listening"

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2014

Lucas Avidan

Middlebury College, "A Voce of Their Own: Bongo Flava Music and Youth identity in Contemporary Tanzania"

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2013

Dante Francomano

Middlebury College "The Transaction of Power in Ugandan Musical Pedagogy"

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2012

Nicole Hansen

Middlebury College, "Violin in Carnatic and Western Classical Music Traditions"

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2011

Brianna Murphy

Wellesley College, "The Heart of the Heartland: Evolution of Bluegrass Fiddling in Middle Tennessee"