Rebecca Moranis

I am a second-year PhD student in Music Theory and Analysis at the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center. I received my Master of Arts in Music Theory at the University of Toronto (U of T) in 2022, where I also received a Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance with a minor in Mathematics (Honours, 2020) as a National Scholar. My research interests span the disciplines of music cognition and music theory, and include timbre, memory, contemporary and 20th-century music analysis, and computational music theory. I am passionate about diverse representation in music scholarship, and making music research more accessible.

Publications

Conferences

• I presented work entitled "Choreographing Orchestration: A Novel Method for Analyzing Orchestral Timbre through Ballet" at the ACTOR project's yearly meeting in Strasbourg, France (July 3–5, 2023), at the Timbre 2023 conference in Thessaloniki, Greece (July 10–12), and as a lightning talk at the Dance and Movement Interest Group meeting at the Society for Music Theory conference in Denver (November 9–12, 2023). I was invited to give this talk at McGill's CIRMMT-ACTOR Symposium on Orchestration Research (October 20, 2023).
• I presented work entitled "Poetic Meter: A View from Music Theory" with Professor Joseph Straus at the Society for Music Theory conference in Denver (November 9–12, 2023), the Music Theory Society of New York State (MTSNYS) conference at New York University (April 1–2, 2023), and the New England Conference of Music Theorists (NECMT) at Yale University (April 21–22, 2023).
• I presented work entitled "The End of Time: Closure in Movement VI of Messiaen's Quatuor pour la fin du temps" at Fresh Science, the 17th International Youth Music Conference at the National Music Academy of Ukraine, virtual (March 23–24, 2023).
• In summer 2020, I researched chord function in a large music corpus using computational methods supervised by Professor Daphne Tan and Professor Jenine Brown (Johns Hopkins University). I co-presented our poster at the International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition in July 2021.

Research

• In summer 2022, I worked with Professor Steven Vande Moortele on editing a volume Wagner Studies.
• In summer 2021, I worked on music cognition and emotion research with Dr. Mats Küssner (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin).
• In summer 2021, I worked with Professor Emeritus John Ciriello (Western University), assisting with statistical analysis and data visualization in creating figures for a research publication.
• In May 2021, I became a member of the Analysis, Creation, and Teaching of Orchestration (ACTOR) Project.
• In April 2021, I received the Canada Graduate Scholarship-Master's (CGS-M) from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) for my research entitled "The Effect of Harmony on Timbral Memory."
• Watch a video-lecture I created about Louise Farrenc's Piano Trio, op. 33, mvt. 1 here.
• In summer 2020, I researched chord function in a large music corpus using computational methods supervised by Professor Daphne Tan and Professor Jenine Brown (Johns Hopkins University). Our work was featured at the International Conference on Music Perception and Cognition in July 2021.
• In 2020, my research entitled A Dimensional Analysis of Voice-Leading in Prokofiev's Sonata for Flute and Piano, supervised by Professor Mark Sallmen, was accepted to the Faculty of Music Undergraduate Research Showcase.
• Since 2019, I have worked on a research project entitled Sonata Form in European Concert Music of the 19th century with Professor Steven Vande Moortele.
• In 2018–2019, I researched rhythm contour and memory with Professor Mark Schmuckler in the U of T Scarborough (UTSC) Music Cognition Lab. Our work was featured at the Future Directions of Music Cognition conference in March 2021.

Teaching

• I am a music theory instructor at Hunter College, CUNY. I taught Music Theory Fundamentals in fall 2023, and am teaching Musicianship 2 in spring 2024.
• In April 2023, I guest-taught a lecture on timbre and its role in contemporary music at Brooklyn College, CUNY.
• In 2022–2023, I guest-instructed several aural skills classes at the City College of New York, CUNY.
• I was a Teaching Assistant in the Faculty of Music and Department of Mathematics at the University of Toronto. In 2021–2022, I was a TA for Music Theory III and Musical Skills II. In 2020–2021, I was a TA for Music Theory I, Musical Skills II, and Linear Algebra for Engineering Science.
• I taught and developed curriculum for math outreach classes in the U of T Math Outreach program. From 2020–2022, I developed five courses for students in grades 4–9.
• I teach flute lessons and math lessons privately. Contact me via email if you would like to set up a lesson.

Service

• I am co-chairing the 2024 Graduate Students in Music (GSIM) Conference at the CUNY Graduate Center, taking place on April 12–13, 2024. More information about the conference (including the call for presentations) can be found here.
• I am the elected Student Representative on ACTOR's Executive Committee.

Performance

• I co-organized and performed in "Living New York," a concert featuring music by living women composers associated with New York City, which took place in October 2023 at the CUNY Graduate Center's Elebash Hall.
• In April 2023, I performed flute-piano chamber works by Gubaidulina and Messiaen at the CUNY Graduate Center's Elebash Hall as part of the Music in Midtown concert series.
• In March 2023, I performed new chamber works by Julian Bennett Holmes and Keyin Lou as part of the Sacred Music at Columbia University concert series. Watch the concert here.
• In August 2022, I returned to Lunenburg with Barbara Hannigan's Equilibrium Young Artists Program (EQ) to perform works by Ravel, Stravinsky, and Delage.
• In June 2022, I performed on flute and piccolo in Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire with The Happenstancers in Toronto. Watch filmed excerpts here.
• In May 2022, I performed as guest principal flutist with the Guelph Symphony Orchestra.
• In September 2021, I joined Barbara Hannigan's Equilibrium Young Artists Program (EQ) at the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance (LAMP) for chamber music rehearsals and performances.
• During my undergraduate at U of T, I studied flute with Nora Shulman. I performed with the U of T Symphony Orchestra, Opera Orchestra, and Contemporary Music Ensemble.
• Watch performances from my graduating flute recital in March 2020 here.
• I was a professional ballerina with Opera Atelier from 2014 until 2022. I performed with the company at the Elgin and Ed Mirvish Theatres in Toronto, at the Royal Opera House in Versailles, and at the Harris Theater in Chicago. During the pandemic, I danced in two opera-films, Resurrection and Angel, the latter premiering at the TIFF Lightbox in October 2021. Watch how we made Resurrection during the pandemic here.
• I have performed a guest musician with the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra on flute and piccolo.
• I received my ARCT in Piano Performance from the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) in 2015.

Email: rmoranis@gradcenter.cuny.edu
Languages: English, French, German (reading). Python, Java, LaTeX, R, MATLAB, html.
CV: available on request.