Iowa Musicology Day

On Saturday, May 2, 2026 from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Luther College will host the Eleventh Annual Iowa Musicology Day in the Choir Room and Orchestra Room of Jenson-Noble Hall. Iowa Musicology Day was organized to establish a professional community in the fields of Musicology and Ethnomusicology in the state of Iowa and to provide a forum in which students, faculty members, and independent scholars may present their research and gain useful feedback. Each year, colleagues at different Iowa universities and colleges take turns hosting the conference. This is the first time the conference is being held at Luther College.

The day will consist of presentations by twenty-one professors, graduate students, and undergraduate students, on musical topics ranging from medieval music and music from different parts of the world to video game music and film music. The presenters come from the University of Iowa, Grinnell College, Wartburg College, and Luther College.

View the complete schedule of presentations 

The event is free and open to Luther faculty, staff, students, and the public. Registration is not required to attend the presentations. Feel free to attend one or more sessions of papers, or the whole day.

Luther College faculty, students, and alums are well represented in the program, with Prof. Jaime Webb (’17) (with collaborator Dr. Nicholas Shaneyfelt) giving a lecture recital, current students Sophie Klein (’26) and Tara Rajanesan (’26) giving presentations, and alums Lani Himegarner (’24) and Hannah Ullah (née Kerchner, ’25), returning to campus to present their research. Dr. Andi Beckendorf (’93), Professor of Library and Adjunct Faculty in Music (Double Bass), will lead a pedagogy workshop on Music Information Literacy. Moderators for the sessions and members of the program committee include alum Zane Larson (’19), and Luther professors Dr. Melanie Batoff and Dr. Alex Meszler.