Emily Gertsch

Dr. Emily Gertsch joined the faculty of the Hugh Hodgson School of Music in 2012 and currently serves as Director of Graduate Studies and Senior Lecturer of Music Theory. She holds a Ph.D. in Music Theory from Florida State University, where her dissertation explored narrative approaches to Robert Schumann’s Piano Quintet and Piano Quartet, integrating her research interests in prolongational analysis and the study of musical meaning.

Her scholarly work has been presented at a range of national and regional conferences, including the Society for Music Theory, the Semiotic Society of America, Music Theory Southeast, and the Texas Society for Music Theory, where she was awarded the Colvin Award for Outstanding Student Paper.

At UGA, Dr. Gertsch teaches graduate courses in prolongational tonal analysis, form and analysis, music theory pedagogy, and narrative theory. She also instructs and supervises second-year core undergraduate music theory courses. In recognition of her commitment to excellence in teaching, she received the inaugural Hugh Hodgson School of Music Excellence in Teaching Award in 2017.

Prior to joining the faculty at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, Dr. Gertsch served on the faculty at Furman University and as a graduate teaching assistant at Florida State University and The Catholic University of America. She received the Phi Mu Alpha Outstanding Teaching Award at Furman and was nominated for multiple teaching awards at Florida State. She also holds a Master of Music degree in Piano Pedagogy from The Catholic University of America and a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance and Music Theory from Furman University.