Dr. Deirdre Morgan holds a Ph.D in Music from SOAS, University of London (2017), an M.A. in Ethnomusicology (UBC 2008), and a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies (UBC 2006). She is a leading scholar of the jew’s harp, an ancient, mouth-resonated musical instrument found in many cultures around the world. An active member of the global jew’s harp revival, Morgan has researched and played the instrument since 2005, speaking, performing, and conducting research in over a dozen countries.

Morgan’s doctoral research, an ethnographic study of jew’s harp revival communities based on multi-sited fieldwork in Norway, Austria, Sicily, and online, was awarded a Doctoral Fellowship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), and a Research Scholarship from SOAS, University of London. Her current research focusses on the cultural study of musical instruments, multi-sited ethnography, historiography, music revival, and transnational subcultures and scenes. Her writing has appeared in Ethnomusicology Forum, and Morgan is co-author, along with Dr. Owen Coggins, of the forthcoming book Jew’s Harps and Metal Music: Folk Traditions in Global Modernity.

As a mentor with EmergenceBC, Morgan brings a wealth of experience to her work with emerging female-identifying & nonbinary musicians. She honed her marketing and production skills as an administrator with top Vancouver music organizations including the Chan Centre, Vancouver International Song Festival, Pacific Baroque Orchestra, and music intima, and twice served as the Executive Director of the North American Jew’s Harp Festival in Bay City, Oregon. An interdisciplinary performer, Morgan has appeared on local and international stages of all sizes as a soloist, collaborator, and ensemble member. She has served on several artistic and academic boards, including Gamelan Gita Asmara, the International Jew’s Harp Society, and the British Forum for Ethnomusicology.

Morgan is Professor of Music at Vancouver Community College where she teaches courses in ethnomusicology, pop music history, and social media for musicians.   

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