Conference Report: 2023 SCSM Annual Meeting at Duke Divinity School

March 2nd- 4th 2023, Duke University, Durham, NC
by Dominic McGann, Exeter College, University of Oxford

The 2023 meeting of the SCSM took place in the Sun-dappled Divinity School of Duke University. This impressive location played host to the society’s members, old and new, who gathered to discuss a wide variety of topics from the musicological to the theological, and every crossover there between. The theme of a family reunion that featured in SCSM President Joshua Waggener’s opening address to the society was felt by all as the joy of gathering with valued colleagues propelled attendants into the first set of sessions.

The first two panels of the conference displayed a fantastic contrast of scholarship into both contemporary and antiquated Christian music. Whilst Malachai Bandy gave an entertaining presentation on the link between lyres and Buxtehude’s Baroque compositions (by way of a delightful number of turtles), Adam Perez of Belmont University and Shannan Baker of Baylor University presented on the chart-topping efforts of Christian musicians in the contemporary age. This juxtaposition between the old and the new highlighted SCSM’s directive as a society for the study of all Christian music, a directive that was readily apparent throughout the remainder of the conference.

Following this opening session, an engaging and compelling keynote speech entitled “Every Time I Feel the Spirit: The Music and Message of the Unknown Black Bards” was given by Duke’s own Rev. Dr. Luke Powery. I suspect this keynote will remain amongst the most memorable academic experiences of the attendant’s careers. Not only did it present fascinating insights on Christian musical experience that can be drawn from the experience of the Black Church, but it provided us all with a rare opportunity to sing together. As Rev. Dr. Powery noted, “I love making Professors sing. You’re all human too!”

Moving to the second day of the conference, numerous fascinating posters were presented off the back of a well-earned coffee break. These posters, including Renée Barbre’s (Yale University) poster on the crossovers of pre-Christian musical thought and modern methods in sound studies, and Will Shine’s (University of Georgia) play-by-play of the history of “Amazing Grace,” triumphed in providing accessible and engaging content that informed many conversations between attendees from the remainder of the conference.

The last day of the 2023 conference included an engaging lecture-recital from soprano Sunny Choi and accompanying pianist Rachel Kyejung Park. This enlightening recital shined a spotlight on hymns from the Christian community of South Korea, as well as providing several new settings of the well- known Korean folk song Arirang. This recital was enjoyed by all of its attendees, and served to bring to life the kinds of hymns that many scholars choose to study in the abstract.

Overall, this year’s family reunion of the SCSM served as an enlightening intellectual, cultural, and social experience for all of its attendees. We greatly look forward to meeting in 2024 at Wheaton College for a continuation of the society’s excellent events in the service of Christian musicology and theology.

Dominic McGann is a DPhil Candidate in Theology & Religion at the University of Oxford, and the Arthur Peacocke Graduate Scholar in Science and Religion at Exeter College, Oxford. He is currently writing a PhD thesis on the ways in which the scientific study of music impacts our understanding of religious practice.