Emily Gertsch

Dr. Emily Gertsch joined the Hugh Hodgson School of Music faculty in 2012, and is a senior lecturer in music theory. She earned a Ph.D. in music theory from Florida State University. Her current research centers on prolongational analysis and music and meaning, and her dissertation brings these interests together in an exploration of narrative in Robert Schumann’s Piano Quintet and Piano Quartet. Dr. Gertsch has presented her research at national and regional conferences, including the Society for Music Theory, the Semiotic Society of America, Music Theory Southeast, and the Texas Society for Music Theory. She was awarded the Colvin Award for Outstanding Student Paper at the 2012 Texas Society for Music Theory 34th Annual Conference.

At UGA, Dr. Gertsch teaches graduate courses in tonal analysis, music theory pedagogy, form and analysis, and narrative theory. She also teaches undergraduate second-year music theory, and supervises second-year aural skills. In 2017, Dr. Gertsch was the recipient of the Inaugural Hugh Hodgson School of Music Excellence in Teaching Award.

Prior to joining the faculty at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, Dr. Gertsch served on the faculty at Furman University and as a graduate teaching assistant at Florida State University and The Catholic University of America. She was honored with the Phi Mu Alpha Outstanding Teaching Award at Furman University and was nominated three times for teaching awards at Florida State. She also holds a M.M. in piano pedagogy from The Catholic University of America and a B.M. in piano performance and music theory from Furman University