Ambre Dromgoole Interview
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Ambre Dromgoole is a PhD student at Yale in the Departments of African American Studies and Religious Studies, a vocalist, and a Senior Research Consultant for Sound Diplomacy. It’s all connected. As she puts it, “as a full-time doctoral student, I’ve continued to build a career in music consulting and curating and kept up my artistic practice as a vocalist (though I am not as consistent as I’d like.) Most recently, I’ve added culture writing to my bag of tricks, and am having an amazing time discovering all the different ways I can be involved in music and the arts.”
How did you get to where you are today, professionally?
Wow, my mind just went to a million different places. I could really start from childhood with this answer, but to save you the time of sifting through a 200+ page tome, I will fast forward to my college years at Oberlin College and Conservatory where I majored in musical studies and religious studies.
I chose Oberlin because, at the time, I wanted to be an opera singer. You couldn’t tell me I wasn’t going to be the next Jessye Norman! But within the first few months, I realized that I didn’t necessarily want a career in classical performance. I told some mentors and advisors about my dilemma who asked me what else I was interested in. At that point I was dabbling in arts administration and had done some internships to that effect, so it seemed like the perfect route. But I also told them about my upbringing surrounded by gospel music and the gospel music industry. My advisor said “you know you can study that, right?” I DID NOT KNOW! That moment changed my trajectory.
By the time I graduated, I’d fallen in love with my research on Black women sacred musicians, but also had a slew of experience working with arts organizations like the Nashville Symphony, National Museum of African American Music, and the Metro Nashville Arts Commission (I’m from Nashville, by the way, my work there is not by chance). After Oberlin, I decided to pursue a Masters of Arts degree at Yale Divinity School and Institute of Sacred Music. While at YDS, I also worked for a boutique marketing firm in NYC that caters to arts organizations as well as broadway and off-broadway productions that feature casts of color. That role was a lot of fun! But that time of my life was pretty hectic. Essentially, I took my classes at Yale and did my reading and homework on the train on the way to Broadway shows and meetings with entertainment executives and professionals.
Even though I had a blast, I didn’t turn my back on my research. There were questions and ideas that stoked my passions. I am currently a PhD student at Yale in the Departments of African American Studies and Religious Studies, and my focus remains on Black women sacred musicians of the 20th and 21st centuries. I consider myself to be multifaceted and like to have my hands in a lot of different pots. As a full-time doctoral student, I’ve continued to build a career in music consulting and curating and kept up my artistic practice as a vocalist (though I am not as consistent as I’d like.) Most recently, I’ve added culture writing to my bag of tricks, and am having an amazing time discovering all the different ways I can be involved in music and the arts.
Did you have any mentors along the way? What did they teach you?
There are no words to describe my profound gratitude for the mentors who have helped light my path. Margaret Campbelle-Holman and Nita Smith, two brilliant and incredibly talented women that I have known since childhood, not only exposed me to a world of arts, culture, and music, but taught me that my dreams could take me wherever I wanted to go as long as I had the dedication and discipline to get there.
In college I had the great honor of connecting with three fabulous Black women ethnomusicologists by the names of Fredara Hadley, Birgitta Johnson, and Alisha Lola Jones. I playfully refer to them as my PhDivas. Their words of wisdom are always salient, but even more important to me is the example they set as people who take the most capacious approach to scholarship possible. Their scholarship is not just academically oriented, but also community minded and artistically driven. I admire the lives they have curated for themselves and the models they have set. I try my best to heed their example.
Tell me about your current research interests. Why do you find this area of research so interesting?
My research interests actually haven’t changed much since undergrad, but my vision is definitely clearer and I am a lot more sophisticated in my approach. Put differently, I have gained more tools along the way which allow me to explore Black women musicians from various vantage points.
I can explain this better with an example. One of the main characters in my dissertation is a little known mid-20th century gospel songwriter named Roxie Ann Moore. For me, looking at her life provides a unique perspective into Black music cultures at that time. However, as a musical studies major at Oberlin, I was taught to lean into a particular type of music analysis, one that privileges Western classical theories and methods.
If led by that outlook alone, my research would be a lot different—more focused on rhythmic and chordal aspects of the music that Roxie produced. But over the years, I’ve learned to take more things into consideration, such as the reception surrounding the music and the listening cultures that are created in response. I’m guided by scholars who look for the Black feminist implications in not only the music itself, but the music writing and engagement that follows. This perspective comes from scholars like Daphne Brooks and Farah Jasmine Griffin, who I’ve long admired and am honored to have in my orbit. Ultimately, I like the messiness of discovering that attention to music cultures and listening practices can fracture long held ideological and cultural distinctions and positions.
What’s your favorite part of the work you do in music?
I love talking to people! It is my favorite part of this work, by far. Most recently, I have had the great honor of talking to a variety of culture workers in Philadelphia as I explore Roxie Moore’s impact and influence on the Philly music scene in the 1950s and 60s. I had an amazing conversation with Max Ochester, owner of Dogtown Records and Brewerytown Beats, a couple weeks ago about Philly’s historic Black neighborhoods and performance venues—these are spaces that Roxie lived in close proximity to and may have frequented.
Ms. Robin, Roxie’s daughter, has welcomed me into her home several times to talk about her mother and explore some of the documents and materials that she left to her family. Having conversations and engaging the people who are most familiar with the time periods, cultures, and events that my research highlights brings me great joy and an even deeper understanding of and appreciation for the contributions of Black artists.
What was the best music / video or film / book you’ve enjoyed in the past 12 months?
I am absolutely OBSESSED with the music video for “Vegas” by Doja Cat. I am actually in the process of writing an article about it right now! If you’re not familiar, the track was created for inclusion in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic. It samples “Hound Dog,” Big Mama Thornton’s version of course, and the visuals are stunning! Doja plays the role of a juke joint singer and throughout we see flashes of sweaty bodies dancing in a club setting juxtaposed to the traditions of ecstatic expression that exist in some Black religious settings. As someone that is interested in just this paradigm, a visual like this is catnip!
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