Dr. Lester Hu

Biography

Lester Hu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Music at the University of California, Berkeley, specializing in musicology. His research focuses on the intersection of music and state-building throughout history, particularly examining how music functions in the context of empire-building. Hu's expertise encompasses early modern Europe and late-imperial China, reflecting a rich comparative perspective that traces cultural exchanges from ancient and early imperial China to late medieval Europe. His forthcoming book, 'Examining Sounds: Music, Empire, Empiricism in Early Modern China,' investigates the entanglement of listening practices and empire during the Manchu-ruled Qing dynasty. This work deconstructs Eurocentric narratives in global history by revealing new insights into early European musical influences in China. Hu's scholarly contributions also include the article 'Chinese Ears, Delicate Dull?: Decolonial Comparativism,' for which he received the prestigious Alfred E. Einstein Award from the American Musicological Society in 2022. Hu's academic background includes a Bachelor of Arts in French Music from Amherst College (2013) and a Ph.D. in Music History Theory from the University of Chicago (2019). His dissertation was honored with the Dean’s Distinguished Dissertation Award in 2020. He has also received multiple fellowships supporting his research.

Research Interests

Experience