Musicology
ledesmanunez@g.harvard.edu
Felipe Ledesma Núñez is an Ecuadorian Ph.D. candidate in Historical Musicology at Harvard University, specializing in pre-Columbian ritual legacies in the evangelization of 17th-century Andean Indigenous towns as documented in inquisitorial trials. His work explores how voice and sound materialized ancestral presence for communities facing colonial devastation. Using a novel interdisciplinary approach, he integrates acoustics, anthropology, archaeology, history, linguistics, music analysis, paleography, and the crafting of ceramic replicas of pre-Columbian sound artifacts. Ledesma Núñez’s research challenges Eurocentric paradigms in musicology, advocating for Indigenous frameworks of perception. His work delves into themes of materiality, voice, agency, and the connections between human, natural, and otherworldly realms. He has received numerous grants and awards, including the prestigious Tyler Fellowship at Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection.
Contact: ledesmanunez@g.harvard.edu