Project:

Expanding the Canon: Bolivian Musical Heritage and Composer Database

This project seeks to expand the visibility, accessibility, and research around Bolivian classical musicians and composers by creating an online database of the unrecognized and unacknowledged artists’ work. This project comes at a pertinent time in Bolivian culture as 2025 marks the 200-year celebration of the country’s independence from Spain. During this fellowship we (Kellie Lanham-Friedman, Senior Assistant Librarian, and Vivianne Asturizaga, Associate Professor of Music) will complete a prototype of a database that contains records of Bolivian composers (current and historical), scores and performances of this music. This project will bring CSUF and DEFCon into the growing conversation around Bolivia’s rich musical and cultural history.

Faculty bio:

headshot for Kellie Lanham-Friedman

Kellie Lanham-Friedman (she/her) is an educator, curator, and librarian at CSUF’s Pollak Library. She holds a BA in Art History from Loyola Marymount University, MFA in Critical and Curatorial Studies from UC Irvine, and an MLIS from San Jose State. Her current role is as the Arts and Makerspace Librarian where she acts as the library liaison to the College of the Arts and the creative vision behind the Pollak Library Makerspace. She is interested in integrating new technology and making into University curriculum. She has facilitated podcasting instruction, VR labs, bookmaking workshops, and more.