Musicology graduate student Liz Crisenbery to present a paper at the national conference of the American Musicological Society

Crisenbery's presentation is derived from her dissertation, which is supported by a James B. Duke International Research Travel Fellowship for 2017-18.

Her dissertation, “Opera in Fascist Italy: Romanità, Reception, and Masculinity in Mussolini’s Third Rome,” examines reception and representations of masculinity in four operas by Italian fascist composers during the height of the fascist regime, from 1935-1941.

The operas include Pietro Mascagni’s Nerone (1935), Gian Francesco Malipiero’s Giulio Cesare (1936), Ottorino Respighi’s Lucrezia (1937), and Ennio Porrino’s Gli Orazi (1941). Crisenbery explores the connection between music, politics, and gender through an examination of each opera’s premiere, drawing upon public reception through newspaper reviews, periodicals, and promotional materials. She highlights the paradox of creative musical freedom in this specific totalitarian context, as a plurality of musical styles were promoted and accepted by the fascist regime.