Lydia Wagenknecht (she/her) is a PhD candidate in ethnomusicology at the University of Colorado Boulder. A 2022-23 Fulbright Student Fellow, her dissertation titled “Conciencias Antárticas: Music, Climate Change, and Polar Identities in Punta Arenas” examines intersections between the Antarctic climate research economy and music making in southern Chilean Patagonia. Her broader research interests include voice studies, ecotourism, decolonial theory, activism, and public musicology.
A Research Assistant at the American Music Research Center, Wagenknecht works on the NEH-funded “Soundscapes of the People” project in Pueblo, Colorado. She has also served as an Engaged Arts and Humanities Scholar, College of Music Lead Graduate Instructor, and president of the Graduate Musicology Society at CU Boulder. She received the Joann W. Kealiinohomoku Award for Excellence from the Southwest Chapter of the Society for Ethnomusicology in 2020.
An Honors Program alumna, Wagenknecht holds a B.A. in Wide-Range Music Education (Choral/General Music) from Wisconsin Lutheran College. She has taught music students from early childhood through adults. In her free time, Wagenknecht serves as a church musician, trains for ultramarathons, and works on her mediocre rock climbing skills with her husband, Austin.