In this episode, I chat with Professor Jennifer Iverson. Professor Iverson is a musicologist whose research explores the intersections of music, technology, and culture. A leading scholar of electronic and experimental music, she is the author of Electronic Inspirations: Technologies of the Cold War Avant-Garde (Oxford, 2019), which examines the pioneering WDR studio in postwar Germany. Her upcoming book, Synthesizing Ourselves: The Black Box That Changed Music Forever, investigates the cultural and technological impact of the synthesizer through archival research and interviews. At the University of Chicago, where she has taught since 2016, Iverson also engages deeply in disability activism and inclusive pedagogy, co-teaching “Disability and Design” and leading a long-term social music partnership with City Elementary, a school for neurodiverse children. Her scholarship bridges humanistic inquiry and technological innovation, revealing how electronic sounds and creative practices shape both music and society.
