Carlos Roberto Ramírez

Bio

Originally from Puerto Rico, Carlos Roberto Ramírez is a musicologist and harpsichordist whose research engages with theories of power, agency and representation as frameworks for the study of sound and music across two main research areas: Early Modern Spain and the Spanish Atlantic, and contemporary representations of gender, class and race in Latinx musics.

An advocate for the combination of musical practice and scholarship, Carlos performs regularly and has had the opportunity to study historically informed practice with some of the leading exponents in the field such as Christopher Hogwood, Jordi Savall, Robert Wiemken, Helmuth Rilling, Neal Zaslaw, Annette Richards, and Joyce Lindorff. He has presented his research at a number of conferences, including the the Symposium of the International Festival of Spanish Keyboard Music (FIMTE), the Royal Musical Association (RMA), Columbia University, Princeton University, and the American Musicological Society (AMS).

Carlos was awarded the Bachelor of Music (summa cum laude) and Master of Music degrees in Music History and Historical Keyboard performance at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance (Philadelphia, PA), where he studied harpsichord with Joyce Lindorff and Musicology with Stephen Willier; he was awarded the Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees at Cornell University’s Department of Music (co-chaired by Judith A. Peraino and Neal A. Zaslaw). Carlos’s research has been supported by Cornell University’s Graduate School Dean’s Fellowship, Cornell University’s Provost Fellowship, Ithaca College Pre-Doctoral Diversity Fellowship, and the Westfield Center for Historical Keyboard Studies. Before joining the faculty at the University of Illinois, Carlos taught at Ithaca College’s School of Music.

Carlos is a Faculty Affiliate at the Unit for Criticism and Interpretative Theory and the Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies (CLACS)

Teaching Philosophy

As a professor, I believe in encouraging students to think critically about historical and contemporary subjects and expect rigorous, thoughtful engagement in the classroom. It is my experience that for this to be possible, classes should take place in an inclusive environment where mutual respect forms the framework of the interaction between the members of the learning community. I am an ardent advocate of diversity and believe that scholarship thrives when plurality of thought is not only encouraged but celebrated, and when ideas can be shared and explored free of judgement and prejudice. I believe that in order to foment citizens who celebrate and encourage difference, diversity in all its forms must first be made available to students in an environment that is socially and academically innovative, and which fosters the students’ capacity to create change.