Name: Michael O'Brien
Title: ACM-Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Ethnomusicology
Office: Koren 210
Phone: 563-387-1621
E-mail: obrimi01@luther.edu
Degree: Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin
Teaching area(s): Music history, ethnomusicology

Michael O'Brien is an ethnomusicologist, music educator and composer whose work has principally focused on the intersection of Latin American popular music, politics, and the formal music education system.  He holds masters and doctoral degrees in ethnomusicology from the University of Texas at Austin and bachelor's degrees in English and music education from Lawrence University.  As a scholar, he has served as Assistant Editor for the Latin American Music Review, and has published in journals including Popular Music, Latin American Music Review, and Wisconsin School Musician. He has presented his research at conferences in the U.S., Mexico and Argentina, including the Society for Ethnomusicology, the International Association for the Study of Popular Music, the International Symposium on the Sociology of Music Education, and the Latin American Congress on Academic Training in Popular Music.

He is also interested in helping performers and music teachers find ways to apply the principles of ethnomusicology (music as culture) in their own outreach and teaching activities. He has led workshops and given presentations for groups including the New World Symphony, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Wisconsin Music Educators Association, and the University of Texas String Project.

O'Brien is also active as a performer, composer, and arranger of music based on Latin American popular idioms, particularly the tango. He plays bandoneon for and leads the Madison-based tango ensemble Quinteto Yzafa, and his compositions have been published by Latham Music, Ludwig Masters, and the National Cello Institute.