Adelaida REYES (1930-2021)
Professor Emerita at New Jersey City University
Ph.D., Columbia University
Adelaida Reyes was Professor Emerita in the New Jersey City University (formerly Jersey City State College) from 1997. Before that she worked as professor of music/ethnomusicology at New Jersey City University (1987-1997), lecturer at Columbia University Department of Music (1976-1986), and as a faculty member at St. Scholastica’s College Department of Music (Manila, Philippines; 1951-1964). From 2011-2021, she was vice-president of the Study Group on Music and Minorities of the International Council for Traditional Music.
She completed her studies for B. Music, at St. Scholastica’s College, Manila, Philippines (1951), M. Philosophy, Columbia University, New York, N. Y. (1972) and Ph.D. (Musicology/Ethnomusicology), Columbia University, New York, N.Y. (1975), with the dissertation thesis The Role of Music in the Interaction of Black Americans and Hispanos in New York City’s East Harlem, which was nominated for the Bancroft Dissertation Prize in 1975.
Adelaida Reyes has been a visiting professor in many universities across the USA, UK and Europe, such as Charles University, Humanities Faculty (Prague), at the Universities of New York and Columbia (University Department of Music) as well as in Juilliard School. She was also a Senior Research Fellow, Refugee Studies Programme, University of Oxford, UK (1996, Michaelmas 1993, Trinity term; 1990, Michaelmas term).
Besides that, Adelaida Reyes was also a coordinator at the Faculty Seminar for Studies in Ethnicity (Title IX, Ethnic Heritage U.S. government grant), Jersey City State College (1979-1980), acting director (sabbatical replacement) at the Center for Studies in Ethnomusicology, Columbia University (1979-1980), and a member of the National Humanities Faculty: Ethnic and cross-cultural studies for High School and College curricula (1975-1983).
In her other professional capacities she was also a Fulbright panelist (2013-2016), a Fulbright specialist at Charles University (Prague, Czech Republic), Humanities Faculty (Fall semester, 2012), member of the Editorial Board, University of Putri Malaysia Book Series in Music Research, Kuala Lumpur (2013-2015) and member of the Editorial Board (English edition): Lide Mesta/Urban People, Journal of the Humanities Faculty, Charles University (from 2008).
Adelaida Reyes has received several academic honors and awards, such as the Lifetime achievement award, Society for Ethnomusicology (Mid-Atlantic Chapter), Fulbright fellowship at the Charles University Humanities Faculty, Prague (2012), residency, Bellagio Study and Conference Center (Rockefeller Foundation, Italy, International Association for Studies of Popular Music (US) Book Award (for Songs of the Caged, Songs of the Free: Music and the Vietnamese Refugee Experience, Temple University Press (2000), National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship for College Teachers (1992-1993), and National Endowment for the Humanities grant for field research among Vietnamese in Orange County, California (Summer 1990).
She also regularly gave papers and holds lectures at universities around the USA, Europe and Asia. Adeleida Reyes gave key-note addresses at Columbia University on the occasion of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for Ethnomusicology, Mid-Atlantic Chapter (March, 2008) and at the XIVth International Congress of the Gesellschaft fur Musikforschung, University of Leipzig (September 28, 2008).