Sonya Lawson
Professor of Music History and Viola

Biography

Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Dr. Lawson has lived all over the United States- attending universities in Michigan, Tennessee, Minnesota, and Oregon as well as working as a professional violist in Colorado, Wyoming, and Massachusetts.

Education

  • University of Oregon, Ph.D. in Music History, September 1995–March 2003

  • University of Minnesota, M.M. in Viola Performance, September 1991–October 1993

  • University of Memphis, B.M. in Viola Performance, Magna Cum Laude, August 1989–May 1991

  • Western Michigan University, August 1986–April 1989

Publications

Book: Bowed Strings in 20th-Century Jazz in the United States: It Don’t Mean a Thing if It Ain’t Got Those Strings. Published April 1, 2026 by Routledge. ISBN 9781032804293

“Inclusive Jazz History Pedagogy” chapter in Reddan, James, Monika Herzig, and Michael Kahr, eds. 2022. The Routledge Companion of Jazz and Gender. Routledge Music Companions. New York: Routledge.
ISBN 9780367534141

“Defy(n)ing Categorization: Moving Beyond the Jazz History Canon” chapter in Kurkela, Vesa & Väkevä, Lauri (eds.) 2009. De-Canonizing Music History.
Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
ISBN (10): 1-4438-1391-5, ISBN (13): 978-1-4438-1391-4

“Alternative Styles: Strings in Jazz, Part Two.”
Journal of the American Viola Society 21:1 (Spring 2005), 19, 21-24.

“Alternative Styles: Viola Jazz: A Longer History Than You Might Imagine.” Journal of the American Viola Society 20:2 (Fall 2004), 21-24.

“Yes, Virginia, There Really ARE Jazz Violists.”
American String Teacher 54:1 (February 2004), 92-97.

Community Engagement

  • Assistant Principal Viola, Pioneer Valley Symphony 2018- present
  • Member of Programming Committee for Pioneer Valley Symphony, 2021-present

Professional Service

Professional Service and Memberships:

  • American Musicological Society
  • American String Teachers Association
  • American Viola Society
  • Jazz Education Network
  • Music History Pedagogy subgroup of American Musicological Society
Headshot of Sonya Lawson.