The Department of Performing Arts at Georgetown University invites applications for the Summer Creative Research Awards, supporting continuing undergraduate students in interdisciplinary creative research, fieldwork, and artistic projects related to their thesis or capstone work. Grants of up to $1,500 help cover travel, living expenses, equipment, and other essential costs, making transformative summer experiences more accessible.
While priority is given to American Musical Cultures and Theater and Performance Studies majors, all Georgetown undergraduates are eligible to apply.
Application Deadline: April 24, 2026 Notification: Before May 1, 2026 Final Report Due: September 1, 2026
Serene Gonzalez (American Musical Cultures, 2027) Presented “Subculture Sounds: How Music Intertwines with Skateboarding Media” at the Music and the Moving Image Conference at New York University. The project examines the relationship between music and skateboarding media cultures, situating subcultural sound within film and audiovisual scholarship.
Koharu Ando (American Musical Cultures and Linguistics, 2027) “Music Ecosystems of Japan.” Conducted field research in Japan examining listening practices, subcultural music communities, and the ongoing coexistence of streaming and physical media. Through interviews and observational research in Tokyo and Osaka, the project explored generational differences in listening habits and the cultural significance of physical formats.
Sophia Dorr (American Musical Culture and Computer Science, 2027) “Exploring Bel Canto and Women Composers through Immersive Study in Tuscany”: Studied and practiced bel canto in Tuscany, combining intensive vocal training, Italian language study, and archival research to explore the interpretive traditions of bel canto and the underrepresentation of women composers in classical vocal repertoire. Her work lays the foundation for a senior capstone recital integrating performance, historical inquiry, and gender-focused repertoire research.
Pietro Elie (Anthropology, Music & Film and Media Studies, 2025) “A Place of Eternal Peace”: An ethnography investigating how contemporary “hybrid” musical subcultures in Tokyo interact, connect, and spread on digital platforms through fieldwork at Forestlimit, an underground venue in Tokyo, Japan.
Winnie Ho (Theater & Performance Studies, Asian Studies Certificate, 2025) Volunteered with Fondation Orient-Occident in Rabat, Morocco, teaching English and researching the lived experiences of migrants for a play centered on war and identity.
Molly Dubens (American Musical Cultures & English, 2025) Traveled to England to research government censorship and music, conducting interviews and producing a documentary for her capstone on activism and sound.
Thea Belle Flanzer (English, Film & Media Studies, 2024) Created a social justice documentary on a sea turtle rescue program in New York, bridging environmental activism and the arts.
Ollie Henry (Women & Gender Studies & Government, 2024) Developed a multidisciplinary street performance and short film on justice, abolition, and embodiment in collaboration with Black and brown student artists.
