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Devon Carter

Student
Music

Overview


Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Candidate in Musicology, 2019–Present

Devon Carter is a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in musicology who studies the history of the voice. His in-progress dissertation discusses developments in vocal technique and aesthetics in Europe from roughly 1825 to 1850, focusing on the history and invention of the voice as metaphor for the liberal political self, as well as shifting gender norms and expectations around new methods of vocalization in opera singing. Devon is a member of the Duke University Scholars Program (as well as a former USP Graduate Consul) and President emeritus of the Music Graduate Student Association.

Prior to coming to Duke, Devon studied music and comparative literature (with a focus in literary translation) at Brown University as an undergraduate. His undergraduate thesis in the Comparative Literature Department attempted to unify his interests in the history of literary and literal voice, translating the Cambridge Songs, an eleventh-century English songbook, from Latin to English, with a critical introduction and compilation of the associated melodies. In addition, he composed a chamber opera based on Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Young Goodman Brown" as a second thesis in the Music Department.

At Duke, Devon studies voice with Ted Federle (and previously with Susan Dunn), and has performed with Duke Opera Theater. He was formerly a singer, stage director, board member, and executive producer with Brown Opera Productions, the student-run opera company at Brown.

Education:

Duke University, Master of Arts in Musicology.

Brown University, Bachelor of Arts in Music and Comparative Literature.
Magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Departmental Honors (awarded for undergraduate thesis) in both Music and Comparative Literature.

Current Appointments & Affiliations