Donna Kwon: 2025-26 University Research Professor Q&A

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 8, 2025) — Donna Kwon, Ph.D., professor of ethnomusicology in the University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts School of Music, has been honored as a 2025-26 University Research Professor.

Kwon’s research explores Korean music, East Asian and Asian-American pop, site-specific performance, embodiment and voice studies.

She is the author of “Stepping in the Madang: Sustaining Expressive Ecologies of Korean Drumming and Dance” (2024) and “Music in Korea: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture” (2011). Her work on K-pop appears in “Korean Pop Culture Beyond Asia” (2024). Kwon has also published in the journals Ethnomusicology, Music and Politics, and Ecomusicology Review.

Kwon joined UK in 2008. She spoke with UKNow about her latest honor as a University Research Professor in this Q&A.

UKNow: What does it mean to you to be recognized as a University Research Professor?

Kwon: It means so much to me to be recognized for my achievements. I've never been in a situation where people have been coming up to me in my neighborhood, at varied music events, and congratulating me. This award comes at a time of challenges, but also milestones. Being promoted to full professor is an achievement that holds deep meaning for me. I also published a monograph and a book chapter in the past year, on the same day in November, no less.

For the first time, my UK Hanulchida Korean percussion group was able to share with the community a ritual form of Korean drumming that I study, performing it during Lunar New Year. This is so connected to my research and to my book, “Stepping in the Madang: Sustaining Expressive Ecologies of Korean Drumming and Dance.” We also had guests perform with the Balinese Gamelan Angklung Langen Kerti, such as the Tuvergen Band, Hirotaka Inuzuka and Bli Ciaaat, all the way from Bali, Indonesia. 

UKNow: How will the professorships program advance your research?

Kwon: These funds will allow me to return to Korea to explore K-pop vocal production, jumpstart my next project and possibly support guest interviews, student engagement, a follow-up trip or a student research assistant.

UKNow: What inspired your focus on this area of research?

Kwon: I’ve always been fascinated by the voice. Early on, I was fortunate to work with voice pathology specialist Rita Patel, Ph.D., and even took my graduate seminar to the UK clinic, where some of us viewed our own vocal cords with a scope. After years of focusing on Korean traditional music, I began seeking a fresh direction. I initially considered an Asian-American music project, but my recent interest in K-pop has led me to explore global connections between K-pop, Korean American popular music and vocal production trends more generally.

UKNow: How does your research impact Kentucky?

Kwon: I hope my research highlights how global and local music cultures intersect, including Korea and Kentucky connections. A line from Jungkook’s song “3D” with Kentuckian Jack Harlow — “I’ll fly you from Korea to Kentucky” — stopped me in my tracks. Many Kentuckians are engaging with Korean music or creating their own sounds, like blues artist Nat Myers, and I hope this work brings more recognition to those stories.

About the University Research Professors
Each year, the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees approves a cohort of faculty as University Research Professors. The distinction recognizes excellence in work that addresses scientific, social, cultural and economic challenges in Kentucky and the world.

College leadership developed criteria for excellence within their area of expertise and then nominated faculty who excelled at these criteria. Each University Research Professor receives a one-year award of $10,000.