Biography

I am a third-year Ph.D. student and Sproull Fellow in music theory at the Eastman School of Music. My research sits at the intersection of music, media, and cultural studies within contemporary J-pop (c. 2010–present), with a particular focus on the works of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Momoiro Clover Z, and YOASOBI. My dissertation, “‘Nanda Kore?!’ Identity and Intertextuality in the Works of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu,” explores how questions of persona, media circulation, and consumption shape both the reception and cultural meaning of her work, situating Kyary within wider discourses of J-pop, global popular culture, and media convergence, as well as offering a framework for understanding how intertextuality mediates identity in contemporary J-pop. Additionally, I have interests in jazz theory/analysis, particularly the music of Hiromi; East Asian pop music broadly; issues of transcription; anison (anime song, アニソン) and anime OPs/EDs; and musical form. My work has been recognized by the Society for Music Theory (2024), the Eastman School of Music Department of Musicology (2025), and Hofstra University (2020).

I currently serve as co-chair of SMT’s Analysis of World Musics Interest Group (two-year term, 2025–2026) and as a member-at-large on SMT’s Information Technology Committee (three-year term, 2025–2027). I am also a web manager of Intégral, Eastman’s peer-reviewed music theory journal, for volumes 38 and 39. I currently serve as a graduate teaching assistant at Eastman, and I have previously taught as an adjunct at Hofstra University; as an adjunct and graduate TA at Hunter College, CUNY; and as a graduate TA (Instructor of Record) at the University of Colorado Boulder. 

Outside of music and academia, I work full-time as an optometric technician and apprentice optician at LensCrafters. I enjoy eating ramen, building mechanical keyboards, transcribing, and spending time with my dog. I have previously studied at Hunter College (CUNY), the University of Colorado Boulder, and Hofstra University.

Revised: September 2025