Critical Sounds Keynote Lecture: Gascia Ouzounian

Professor Gascia Ouzounian delivers the keynote address for Critical Sounds, drawing on her research at the intersection of sound studies, urban history, and science and technology studies. Ouzounian's work asks how cities are experienced through sound, and how sonic forces shape the fabric of urban life. Her lecture sets the intellectual tone for the symposium/festival and opens a conversation between academic inquiry and critical sound practice of our time. A reception with drinks and light appetizers will follow in the GLPAC entrance.

About the speaker

Associate Professor of Music, University of Oxford | Oxford

Gascia Ouzounian is Associate Professor of Music at the University of Oxford and Principal Investigator of the European Research Council–funded project Sonorous Cities: Toward a Sonic Urbanism (SONCITIES). Her research explores sound, urbanism, violence, and systems of power, with particular attention to the political dimensions of listening. She is the author of Stereophonica: Sound and Space in Science, Technology, and the Arts (MIT Press) and The Trembling City: The Sonic and Atmospheric Violence of Vibrational Warfare (forthcoming from MIT Press, October 2026). Ouzounian is also editor of the forthcoming volume Sonic Urbanism: A Critical Guide (Bloomsbury Academic). Her work bridges scholarship, artistic practice, and curatorial experimentation, and she has collaborated widely with architects, sound artists, and urbanists internationally. Through her writing, teaching, and public engagement, she develops new frameworks for understanding how sound shapes public, civic, and urban life.

About Critical Sounds

Critical Sounds is a symposium and festival exploring the intersection of sound studies, electroacoustic music, and experimental performance. Bridging academic inquiry with artistic practice, the program features a keynote lecture, live performances, practice-based research, and workshops—including a special session with Chicago’s own DJ Lady D. All events are free and open to the public.

Presented by the Composition and Sound Practices Program & SPIL (Sound Practices and Intermedia Lab), Department of Music | University of Chicago, in partnership with Arts + Public Life, the Franke Institute for the Humanities, Patchbent, and Experimental Sound Studio.

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