College of Visual and Performing Arts Dean bruce d. mcclung has announced the appointment of Gerardo “Gerry” Lopez as Assistant Professor of Music Theory. 

Lopez is a PhD candidate in Music Theory at The Ohio State University (OSU) who will defend his dissertation, “From Robotic Singing to Singing Robots: Exploring the Construction and Perception of Technological Vocal Personas in Music,” this spring. Lopez’s study focuses on works from different time periods and styles that feature voices adopting characteristics associated with mechanical, electronic, and/or digital technologies. To study these voices, he is employing analytical tools that have been developed for the analysis of timbre and prosody supplemented by his own experiments in perception. 

He holds a Master of Music (MM) degree in Music Theory from Michigan State University, a Bachelor of Music (BM) degree and a Master of Music (MM) degree in Flute Performance from the University of Redlands, and an Associate of Arts (AA) degree in Music from Pasadena City College. He has taught music theory courses as the instructor of record at each of these institutions and at OSU. 

In addition to his research, Gerry is dedicated to serving his community. He is a member of the national graduate student-led Project Spectrum, a cross-disciplinary committee composed of graduate students from various professional music societies; the Society for Music Perception and Cognition’s Anti-Racism and Equity Committee; and the Society for Music Theory’s Professional Development Committee. 

Since 2020 he has volunteered to review and to give feedback to high school students applying to the Shaheen Scholarship program, which is facilitated by A Place Called Home, a non-profit based in South Central Los Angeles that aims to provide scholarships to local college-bound students who are from a working-class and first-generation backgrounds.