Overview
Frederick Cruz Nowell is a PhD Candidate in Musicology at Cornell University and a Joan Tisch Teaching Fellow at the Whitney Museum of American Art.
His research explores the intersections of music and visual art, particularly painting, in modern and contemporary art, aiming to expand the scope of music scholarship on 20th-century art beyond sound art and composer-centric perspectives. He is also interested in the history of music theory and serves as a co-editor of the History of Theory (HoT) blog.
His dissertation examines one of the most colorful and consequential crossovers between music aesthetics and abstract painting: Hilla von Rebay’s work as the curator and founding director of the Museum of Non-Objective Painting. It explores how Rebay blended the Romantic idea of absolute music with her New Age spiritual beliefs to articulate a radical vision of abstract painting—autonomous, nonreferential, and cosmic—which she called “Non-Objectivity.”
Before joining Cornell, Nowell pursued a cross-disciplinary education spanning music performance, studio art, and art theory & practice. After a brief stint at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music as a Vocal Performance Major, he transferred to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), where he earned a BFA in Studio Art. He then obtained an MFA in Art, Theory, & Practice from Northwestern University, where he was a University Fellow for two years.
Beyond academia, Nowell has contributed to projects at the Whitney Museum, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Rockbund Art Museum, and the 14th Istanbul Biennial. He also serves as a Graduate Student Representative on the Society for Music Theory’s Committee on Feminist Issues and Gender Equity (FIGE), where he advocates for initiatives addressing gender-based discrimination. His work emphasizes a dignity-first approach that prioritizes the agency and lived experiences of TGI+ (transgender, gender diverse, and intersex) scholars in Music Studies.
For those interested in collaborating on these efforts, Nowell welcomes the opportunity to connect.