UNF music student receives American Bach Society research grant
Christian Torres, a University of North Florida School of Music senior, recently received the prestigious Frances Alford Brokaw Grant from the American Bach Society, which will allow him to study the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.
“The Frances Alford Brokaw Grant is a nationally competitive and unique opportunity for student research,” said Dr. Michael Vincent, visiting assistant professor of musicology at UNF and faculty mentor for Torres’s project. “Christian has the potential to make original contributions to our understanding of Bach while creating significant recognition for music and historic research at UNF.”
The grant will fund Torres’s travel to the Riemenschneider Bach Institute, Baldwin Wallace University’s renowned research center in Ohio dedicated to Johann Sebastian Bach, where Torres will work with archival materials to complete an original research project on the music of Bach and the composers within his circle for two weeks in June. More specifically, he will be researching the pedagogical teachings on Bach’s musical styles and how to play them.
Bach was a German musician during the Baroque era, regarded as one of the greatest composers of all time due to his hundreds of musical compositions, including works for choirs, orchestras and individual instruments.
"Like Shakespeare is to English, Bach is the cornerstone of Western music,” said Torres. “I look forward to expanding my knowledge and hope this experience will help me grow as a music educator.”
Torres will be assisted in his research by Dr. Danielle Kuntz, associate professor of music history at the Institute. In addition to the monetary award, the grant also will provide Torres with a year-long membership in the American Bach Society.
Torres has also received the Undergraduate Research Scholarship and Creative Activities (U-RSCA) Training Grant from UNF to support his research.