Presentations

Sean Williams presents talks for public and private organizations on music, Ireland, Asia, religion, food, and other topics. The list below includes some of the presentations she has made.

2021

  • “Irish Forms of American Whiteness,” American Conference for Irish Studies, online conference (because of COVID), June 4.
  • “Islam and Music,” “Judaism and Music,” and “Buddhism and Music,” for the Frank Tobey Jones Senior Center, Tacoma, WA, June 10, 16, and 30.

2020

  • “The Magical Whiteness of Being: Irish Language and Song in American White Nationalism,” Society for Ethnomusicology, online conference (because of COVID), October 28.

2018

  • “Between the Songs and the Airs: Intersections of Vocal and Instrumental Performance in Irish Traditional Music,” Society for Ethnomusicology, Albuquerque, NM, November 17.

2017

  • Keynote Speech on Joe Heaney at the National University of Ireland in Galway, November 22
  • “Between Hindu and Muslim in Sundanese Vocal Music,” International Council for Traditional Music, Limerick, Ireland, July 19.

2016

  • “Negotiating Religious Transformation through Sundanese Vocal Music,” Association for Asian Studies, Seattle, WA, April 1.
  • “Interdisciplinarity in Indonesian Music Pedagogy,” Southeast Asia Symposium, Tacoma, WA, October 29.
  • “From Singing to Speaking: A Song-Based Irish Language Pedagogy,” Society for Ethnomusicology, Washington, D.C., November 12.

2015

  • “Sean-nós Dance in History and Memory” at Memorial University, St. John’s, Newfoundland, May 24.
  • “Firefly Sounds,” performance/spoken word piece at Lawrence University, September 17.

2014

  • “Braided Lives: Moving within the Soundscape,” co-keynote speech with Dr. Tomie Hahn at the Midwest Regional Conference of the Society for Ethnomusicology, Lawrence University, April 5.
  • “Approaches to Sundanese Musical and Religious Identities,” at a symposium titled “Performing Indonesia 2014: Dance, Music, and Theater of West Java Province.” Washington, D.C., October 4. Sponsored by the Indonesian Embassy and the Smithsonian Museum.
  • “Managing the Unspeakable Through Transgressive Ethnography.” Society for Ethnomusicology, Pittsburgh, PA, November 14.

2013

  • “Crossing the Divide: Hinduism and Islam in Sundanese Music,” Memorial University, St. John’s, Newfoundland, March 19.
  • “Embodying the Liminal: The Visiting Artist as Fieldwork Site,” University of Washington, Seattle, WA, February 9 [keynote speech].
  • “Dancing, Identity, and ‘Immorality’ in Sundanese Jaipongan,” Willamette University, Salem, OR, November 2.

2012

  • Participation in a panel on graduate students and publication, Society for Ethnomusicology, New Orleans, LA, November 18.

2011

  • “Dancing with the Drum: Teaching and Learning in Sundanese Jaipongan,” Society for Ethnomusicology, Philadelphia, PA, November 16-20.
  • “Understanding Indonesia,” Olympia World Affairs Council, Olympia, WA, May 14.

2009

  • Parenting and Ethnomusicology (roundtable speaker), Society for Ethnomusicology, Mexico City, Mexico, November 19.
  • “Music and Religion,” South Puget Sound Community College, Olympia WA, September 25.
  • “The Musical Confluence between Hinduism and Islam in West Java, Indonesia,” Boston University, Boston, MA, April 23.

2008

  • “World Music in an Interdisciplinary Context.” Cultural Diversity in Music Education conference, Seattle, WA, March 20-23.
  • Sean-nós Singing workshop; Friday Harbor Irish Music Camp, Friday Harbor, WA, March 3-9.
  • Renaissance Singing workshop; Whatcom Hills Waldorf School, Bellingham, WA, February 2.
  • Sean-nós Singing workshop; 1st Annual Portland Sean-nós Festival, Portland, OR, January 19.

2007

  • “Musical Masculinity and the Life of Joe Heaney.” Sean-nós Milwaukee festival, Milwaukee, WI, February 17-18.

2006

  • “Music and Islam in Rural Washington State: Pedagogical Issues in a Time of War.” Society for Ethnomusicology, Honolulu, HI, November 15-19.

2005

  • “The Language of Internal Exile: An Irish Musical Enclave Within Ireland.” Society for Ethnomusicology, Atlanta, GA, November 16-20.
  • “Islam and Music of the Islamic World,” Inquiring Mind series (sponsored by Humanities Washington), March 6 (Friday Harbor, WA), March 12 (Hoquiam, WA), April 12 (Walla Walla, WA).

2004

  • “Negotiating Local Identity Through Song: A Case Study of Irish Attitudes Toward the Famine.” Oral History Association, Portland, OR, September 30-October 4.
  • “Islam and Music of the Islamic World,” Inquiring Mind series (sponsored by Humanities Washington), March 20 (Kingston, WA), July 15 (Kennewick, WA), October 14 (Gig Harbor, WA), November 10 (Olympia, WA).

2003

  • “It’s Not Easy Being Green: Re?Learning Irish Music in Japan.” Society for Ethnomusicology, Miami, FL, October 1-5.
  • “Islam and Music of the Islamic World,” Inquiring Mind series (sponsored by Humanities Washington), January 30 (Manchester, WA), March 8 (Hoquiam, WA), March 18 (Chehalis, WA), April 9 (Olympia, Wa), April 12 (Olympia, WA).

2002

  • “Islam and Music of the Islamic World,” Vancouver, WA. Inquiring Mind series (sponsored by Humanities Washington), November 15.

1998

  • Discussant at panel: “He Who Pays the Piper Calls the Tune: Musical Sponsorship in Transnational Contexts.” Society for Ethnomusicology, Bloomington, IN, October 21-25.

1997

  • “Transformations of Male and Female Space in Homes, Stages, and Repertoires of the Sundanese in West Java, Indonesia.” Society for Ethnomusicology, Toronto, Ontario, October 22-26.
  • “Gendered Space — Onstage and Offstage — in West Java.” Annual Meeting of the Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute, Tempe, AZ, June 13-15.
  • “Sundanese Performing Arts Competitions: Threats to Tradition or Inspiration for Innovation?” Northwest Regional Meeting, Society for Ethnomusicology, Seattle, WA, February 22.

1995

  • “Female Performers and the Politics of Sexuality in West Java, Indonesia.” Annual Meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology, Los Angeles, CA, October 19-22.

1992

  • “Roots, Rap, Reggae: the Adoption and Adaptation of Foreign Music in Indonesia.” Northwest Regional Meeting, Society for Ethnomusicology, Seattle, WA, February 20.

1991

  • “The Creation and Maintenance of Sundanese Cultural Autonomy: the Case of Jaipongan.” Annual Meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology, Chicago, IL, October 9-13.
  • “The Adoption and Adaptation of Foreign Music in Indonesia.” Semi-Annual Meeting of the International Council for Traditional Music, Hong Kong, July 3-9.
  • “Kacapi-suling, Sundanese Music Which is Heard But Not Seen,” Mid-Atlantic Regional Meeting, Society for Ethnomusicology, New York City, NY, April 19-21.

1990

  • “A Stalactite Gamelan in Pacitan, Central Java.” Northwest Regional Meeting, Society for Ethnomusicology, Seattle, WA, March 30-April 1.

1989

  • “Urbanization in the World of Tembang Sunda,” Annual Meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology, Boston, MA, November 9-12.
  • “Current Developments in Sundanese Popular Music: the impact of ‘Kalangkang’,” Annual Meeting of the Association for Asian Studies, Washington, D.C., March 17-19.

1985

  • “A Comparison of the Norwegian Langleik with the Appalachian Dulcimer,” Northwest Regional Meeting, Society for Ethnomusicology, Seattle, WA, April 12-14.

1984

  • “Language, Melody and Ornamentation in the Traditional Songs of Ireland,” Annual Meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology, Santa Monica, CA, October 25-29.
  • “Ornamentation in the Traditional Irish Singing of Joe Heaney,” Northwest Regional Meeting, Society for Ethnomusicology, Seattle, WA, April 6-8.

1983

  • “American Survivals of the African Banjo,” Northwest Regional Meeting, Society for Ethnomusicology, Seattle, WA, April 8-10.