Michael Alan Anderson, Professor of Musicology and Chair of the Musicology Department at the Eastman School of Music. He specializes in a wide range of issues related to sacred music from the fourteenth through the sixteenth century, with emphasis on lay devotion and saints. He is the author of Music and Performance in the Book of Hours (Routledge Press, 2022) and St. Anne in Renaissance Music: Devotion and Politics (Cambridge University Press, 2014). Anderson’s articles have appeared in various peer-reviewed journals, and he is a two-time winner of ASCAP’s Deems Taylor Award for outstanding writing about music, for articles published in Early Music History (2011) and in the Journal of the American Musicological Society (2013).
Beyond his academic writing, Dr. Anderson is passionate about performance. Since 2008, he has served as artistic director of Schola Antiqua of Chicago, a professional ensemble specializing in medieval chant and Renaissance polyphony. Under his leadership, the group has recorded several albums and collaborated with major museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
At Eastman, Dr. Anderson has also been a creative force behind community initiatives like the ENCORE Chorus, a unique music program for individuals living with dementia and their caregivers. His work bridges research, education, performance, and service, making an impact both within the university and across the broader community.