Nora Briddell, a junior from Madison, has used her combined interests in cello performance and history to discover a love for musicology in her time at Lawrence.
Wanting to develop important relationships with her college professors, Briddell found Lawrence was able to provide the closeness she was looking for. She says it was these relationships that led her to discover that there was more to music than just performance, allowing her to expand into the dual degree track and to pursue her interest in musicology. In addition to her studies, Briddell enjoys being a CA in Plantz Hall.
“I am so glad to have musicology to contextualize the work I am doing in my history major," she said. "It really pushes me to think critically about the historical narratives I am reading.”
Briddell says it was her cello professor, Horacio Contreras, who helped her to see all the possibilities there are for careers in music. In addition to playing in the studio, she was able to participate in research with Contreras for The Sphinx Catalog of Latin-American Cello Works, compiling information on and interacting with Latin American composers.
Briddell is considering going to grad school for musicology, hoping to focus on her interest in female identities in music.
Quick Facts
Name: Nora Briddell
Class Year: 2023
Area(s) of Study: Cello performance, history
Hometown: Madison, Wisconsin
