An Honorary Doctorate for Susan McClary

Susan McClary, B.Mus. (Southern Illinois University), M.A., Ph.D. (Harvard University) was  named Doctor of Music honoris causa at  this year's spring convocation, which took place on May 31st.
As one of the world’s leading feminist musicologists, Susan McClary focuses in her research on the cultural criticism of music, both the European canon and the contemporary popular genres. She combines the disciplines of music history and music theory, and succeeds in connecting musical details with larger social and cultural ideas. Professor McClary first came to fame with the publication of Feminine Endings: Music, Gender, and Sexuality,  a book that examines cultural constructions of gender and sexuality. Feminine Endings, published in 1981, is considered one of the founding documents of what is known today as “the new musicology,” a movement that turns away from the dominant approach to music as a self‐contained aesthetic product, and concentrates on its relationship to social practices, gender, sexuality, and politics.

Professor McClary also has close ties to the Schulich School of Music having taught here for three years beginning in 1991. During those years her presence raised the profile and productivity of the Department of Theory (now known as the Department of Music Research).  For her many contributions to musicology, Susan McClary has been awarded many university-wide teaching awards and been invited as guest lecturer to the most prestigious lecture series in music. In 1995, she was the recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship which celebrates and inspires the creative potential of individuals across numerous fields of human endeavor.