01 about

Jon Churchill is a music scholar, performer, and educator. Currently a James B. Duke fellow at Duke University, Jon's research focuses on British Modernism, especially the works of Ralph Vaughan Williams and their intersection with musical nonlinearity. Other interests include rhythm in the 20th century, Motown, and the works of Per Nørgård. He holds a Master's in Musicology from The Pennsylvania State University (2016) with a thesis entitled "Psychological Reprieve in the Symphonies of Ralph Vaughan Williams" and a Bachelor's in Music Education from Western Connecticut State University (2010). 

Before coming to Duke, Jon taught grades Pre-K through High School across the Bethel (CT) and Arlington (NY) Central School Districts as well as the King School of Stamford, CT. As a member of the El Sistema-affiliated Bravo! Waterbury program (CT), Jon introduced underprivileged children to the fundamentals of music theory, history, and performance. 

Jon has also appeared in orchestral, theatrical, and session engagements across the United States, especially in and around New York City. As a theatre specialist, he has played drums or percussion for over 300 local and regional productions while maintaining a busy schedule as a symphonic player. He has served as principal percussionist for the Norwalk Symphony and as a section member of the Ridgefield, Danbury, Nutmeg, and New Haven symphonies, not to mention several wind ensembles and choirs across New England.

As half of the Invicta Marimba Duo, Jon has presented masterclasses across Connecticut and appeared at showcase concerts for Connecticut Music Educators Association and Percussive Arts Society conferences. He is a past winner of the James Furman concerto competition in both solo and chamber divisions.

Jon has presented his research on Ralph Vaughan Williams at meetings of the American Musicological Society and the Royal Musical Association across the United States and England.

02 research interests & musicological activity

Research Interests:

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"Nonlinear Gesture in the Symphonies of Ralph Vaughan Williams" (dissertation in progress)

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20th-Century British Modernism

Musical Rupture and its Role in Rhetoric

Rhythm

Per Nørgård

Popular Music (Motown, Prince, Stevie Wonder)

Semiotics

Music History/Theory Pedagogy

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Recent Conference Activity:

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“A Second Battlefield: Semantic Exchange in Vaughan Williams’s London and Pastoral Symphonies,” Royal Musical Association/British Forum for Ethnomusicology Research Students Conference, Huddersfield, England, January 2018

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“A Second Battlefield: Semantic Exchange in Vaughan Williams’s London and Pastoral Symphonies,” AMS Greater New York Chapter Meeting, January 2018

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“Vaughan Williams and Musical Reprieve: The Locus Amoenus in Symphony No. 3,” AMS Allegheny Chapter Meeting, Fall 2015

Selected Awards and Honors:

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James B. Duke Fellow, Duke University

Society of Duke Fellows

Pi Kappa Lambda

Phi Lambda Theta

James Furman Chamber Music Competition Winner

James Furman Concerto Competition Winner

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Funded Archival Research

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Musical Rupture in Ralph Vaughan Williams's Compositional Process, 2019

Professional Affiliations: 

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American Musicological Society

Society of Music Theory

Royal Musical Association

North American British Music Studies Association

The Ralph Vaughan Williams Society

Penn State Society of Music Theory and Musicology (Founder)

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03 performance

Selected Ensemble/Professional Affiliations: 

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Danbury Symphony

Norwalk Symphony

New Haven Symphony

Ridgefield Symphony

Nutmeg Symphony

Nutmeg Winter Winds

Hudson Valley Symphonic Winds

EBE Ensemble 

Invicta Percussion Duo (Founder)

Camerata d'Amici

300+ local, regional, touring theatre productions

Extensive recording session experience (NYC)

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American Federation of Musicians, Locals 514-87; 400

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04 contact