Renovations completed, UCLA's Ethnomusicology Archive resumes operations.
UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music's Ethnomusicology Archive Re-opens with Grand Celebration
The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music is set to re-open its expanded Ethnomusicology Archive on Friday, January 11. The day will be marked by a day-long symposium and an evening concert titled "Documenting the Sounds of Africa".
The grand re-opening honours Jacqueline Cogdell DjeDje, a former faculty member and director of the archive, who was a faculty member from 1979-2013, the director of the UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive from 2000 to 2007, and also directed UCLA's African-American Vocal Ensemble.
The renovated archive boasts a newly expanded space on campus, featuring a new inviting public space, a high-density shelving area, and a viewing room for up to 14 people.
The archive houses a diverse range of music-related collections reflecting global music traditions. The collection includes over 150,000 audio, video, print, and photographic items, documenting all world musical expressions and including unique field recordings, rare commercial recordings, and recordings of the department's concerts and lectures by legendary scholars and performers.
The evening concert will feature performances by members of the UCLA West African and Afro-Cuban Ensembles, who will perform traditional repertoires from Ghana, including fontomfron, atumpan, and adowa. The Wondem Band will also perform an East African-influenced mix of Ethiopian jazz, Sudanese soul, and traditional secular music from Somalia and Eritrea.
The event is free and open to the public, providing an opportunity for the community to explore the archive's renovation during an open house. The concert will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Jan Popper Theater in Schoenberg Hall.
The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music Ethnomusicology Department actively presents events showcasing world music, such as the "Music of Korea - Spring Festival of World Music 2025" held on May 30, 2025, at UCLA’s Schoenberg Hall. This suggests that the expanded archive supports such cultural and scholarly activities.
For detailed information about the archive’s holdings, expansion details, or upcoming events, it is recommended to contact the department directly via [email protected] or [email protected]. The archive has the potential to become the heart of this academic community and a welcoming center for serious research.
- The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music's renovated Ethnomusicology Archive, a hub for global music traditions, offers a wealth of resources for both education-and-self-development and entertainment, such as the upcoming evening concert "Documenting the Sounds of Africa."
- Beyond the evening concert, the Ethnomusicology Archive also supports cultural and scholarly activities, like the "Music of Korea - Spring Festival of World Music 2025," fostering a vibrant connection between music and learning within the community.
