The department warmly congratulates Rafael Torralvo da Silva, who successfully defended his PhD dissertation in music and sound studies on April 21, 2025. Titled “Transarmorial: The Politics of Sound, Knowledge Production, and Cultural Identity in the Armorial Movement (1970-2025),” his dissertation examines the Armorial movement, a Brazilian modern cultural movement led by writer and public intellectual Ariano Suassuna. His special committee consisted of Benjamin Piekut (co-chair), Steven Pond (co-chair), and Kenneth Roberts (government). Congratulations to Dr. Torralvo!
