Dr. Samantha Elisheva Zerin, PhD

Executive Summary

Services Provided: Music Theory and Composition Tutoring ~ Yiddish Tutoring ~ Yiddish Translation ~ Program Notes ~ Adjunct / Guest Lectures ~ Composition Commissions ~ Social Media Marketing ~ Digital Video Editing
Research Expertise: Jewish Art Music ~ 19th Century Music ~ Nationalism ~ Virtuosity ~ Transcription ~ Prodigies ~ Performer-Composers ~ Biography
Research Skills: Archival Work ~ Score Analysis ~ Audio Analysis ~ Genealogy ~ Translation ~ Digital Media ~ Historical Newspapers ~ Interviews
Teaching Style: Interactive ~ Subjective ~ Autodidactic ~ Playful ~ Diverse ~ Polyglot
Reading Languages: Advanced Russian, Yiddish, Hebrew, German, and French; Elementary Norwegian and Polish

Degrees

PhD: New York University, Historical Musicology (2020)
Bachelor of Music: University of Michigan, Music History (2009)

PhD Dissertation

(read an excerpt here)
Dissertation Title: A Miracle of Virtuosity: Joseph Achron as a Prodigy Performer-Composer
Dissertation Committee: Michael Beckerman (advisor); Maureen Mahon; Mai Kawabata; James Loeffler; Martin Daughtry

Research

Journal Articles:
(Peer-Reviewed)		 "Evoking a Corner of Jewish Life: Moses Milner's In Kheyder for Voice and Piano,” Nota Bene: Canadian Undergraduate Journal of Musicology, Vol. 2 (2009)
Conference Papers:
(Refereed)		 "Violin Virtuosity and the Art of Transcription,” North American Conference on 19th Century Music, Nashville, TN (2017)
“Reinventing the Music of the Bible: Hebraist Trends in Jewish Art Music of the Early 1920s,” Midwest Jewish Studies Association, Detroit, MI (2017)
“Jewish Music: What Is It And Why Do We Care?” American Musicological Society, Milwaukee, WI (2014)
“Evoking a Corner of Jewish Life: Moses Milner's In Kheyder for Voice and Piano,” Conversations in Music, Ann Arbor, MI (2009)
Liner Notes:
(Original Research)		 Russian-Jewish Classics, Vol. 4: Solomon Rosowsky (Toccata Classics, 2018)
Tribute to the School of National Jewish Music, Vol. 1 (Nigunim La’ad, 2017)
Joseph Achron: Music for Violin and Piano (Naxos, 2014)
Score Editions:
(Editor)		 Joseph Achron: Complete String Quartets, Vols. 1-4 (Joseph Achron Society, 2015)
Joseph Achron: Paganini Transcriptions for Violin and Piano (Joseph Achron Society, 2012)
Joseph Achron: Hebrew Melody for Violin and Orchestra (Joseph Achron Society, 2012)
Joseph Achron: Hebrew Melody for Theremin and Orchestra (Joseph Achron Society, 2012)
Joseph Achron: Third Violin Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (Joseph Achron Society, 2011)

Teaching

Hebrew College: Visiting Lecturer of Music

History of Jewish Music, Semester 1 (Fall 2019)

5 students. Course covered major topics in Jewish music history from antiquity through the 19th century. I modified the pre-existing syllabus in order to include several classes on female musicians and genres, including Europa Rossi, the firzogerin tradition, and the German-Jewish salonièrre tradition. Weekly assignments challenged students to conceive of and express information in a variety of formats, including infographics, Twitter threads, website FAQ, and video essays.
Borough of Manhattan Community College: Visiting Lecturer of Music

Basic Music (Fall 1018)

30 students (2 sections of 15 each). Introduction to both music theory and playing the piano. Musical examples were drawn from a variety of musical genres, including Disney music, TV theme songs, Russian pop music, Chassidic pop music, Broadway musicals, nursery rhymes, and classical music. Homework assignments required students to watch/listen to music theory podcasts and YouTube videos, in addition to written analytical work.
Brown University: Visiting Lecturer of Music

Introduction to Music Theory (Fall 2017)

28 students. Created a new syllabus, from the bottom up, to include sections on non-traditional elements: timbre, texture, articulation, dynamics, topic theory, etc. Innovative grading system shifts the focus from grades to curiosity, encouraging self-directed learning, risk-taking, and participation. Lectures and exam questions are intentionally subjective, to encourage free thought and to emphasize the complexity of musical discourse.
New York University: Visiting Lecturer of Music

Elements of Music (Fall 2015)

70 students. Created a new syllabus, from the bottom up, to include sections on non-traditional elements: timbre, texture, articulation, dynamics, topic theory, etc. Innovative grading system shifts the focus from grades to curiosity, encouraging self-directed learning, risk-taking, and participation. Lectures and exam questions are intentionally subjective, to encourage free thought and to emphasize the complexity of musical discourse.

Teaching Assistant

Elements of Music (Spring 2015)
Music in Cold War New York (Spring 2014)
Music and Technology (Fall 2013)

Facilitated small group activities and skills training (between 2 and 15 students per group), held office hours, and graded assignments and exams. Used a variety of classroom activities and homework assignments to engage diverse learning modes. Personalized the material in accordance with student' backgrounds, interests, and time constraints. Gave 1-2 lectures per semester.
Koffler Bornstein Families Institute of Jewish Studies: Lecturer

Let's Learn Yiddish! (Winter 2018 and Fall 2019)

10 students. Introduction to Yiddish language, music and culture, with a focus on contemporary Chassidic pop music.
Lecturer

Jewish Music: What Is It and Why Do We Care?(Spring 2017)

10 students. Taught an original syllabus for a six-session, discussion-based course for adults, examining issues of Jewish identity through the lens of 20th- and 21st-century Yiddish vocal music. Topics included Jewish Art Song, Christmas Music, Atheism, Anti-Zionism, Chassidic Pop Singers, Children's Music, Intertextuality, Appropriation, Assimilation, and Genre.

Academic Service

New York University: GSAS Music Colloquium Series Co-Coordinator (2017-2018)

Co-organized 2017-2018 series of seven guest lectures on musical research and a roundtable discussion on expanding undergraduate music theory pedagogy beyond harmony and counterpoint. Solicited speaker nominations and facilitated voting from students in the Department of Music, communicated with guests, publicized events on social media, arranged dinners, and internally worked through budgetary constraints.
Jewish People’s Philharmonic Chorus: Social Media Director and Steering Committee Member (2014-2020)

Launched and developed the chorus's social media presence. Edited, translated, subtitled, and wrote historical commentary for YouTube videos. Advocated for the financial needs of younger members.
Hebrew Union College - New York Campus: Music Archivist (2013-2015)

Processed, organized, and created finding aids for thousands of Jewish music manuscripts, published scores, correspondence files, photographs, and other archival materials. Mainly worked with personal archives and uncatalogued score collections.
Joseph Achron Society: Founder and President (2010-)

Established in 2010, the Joseph Achron Society is devoted to preserving, publicizing, and creating access to the works of the Russian-Jewish composer Joseph Achron (1886-1943). My work includes editing first edition scores, commissioning scholarship, facilitating international performances, networking musicians and scholars, fundraising for projects, creating and maintaining a website, creating and maintaining a budget, and developing new projects.
American Society for Jewish Music: Founder and Director, St. Petersburg Score Project (2009-)

Established in 2009. Online archive of rare Russian-Jewish classical sheet music, focusing on works published by the St. Petersburg Society for Jewish Folk Music, the Juwal Publishing House, and the Jibneh Publishing House.
(Various Institutions): Guest Lecturer (2011-)

Lectures and lecture-recitals at Boston University (Boston, MA), Hebrew College (Newton, MA), Florida International University (Miami, FL), the Conservative Yeshiva (Jerusalem, Israel), and synagogues in Michigan, New York, and Rhode Island.
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