Mellon Predoctoral Fellow Juan Velasquez Ospina has been extraordinarily productive during his fellowship year. His article "From the Plaza to the Parque: Transformations of Urban Public Spaces, Disciplining, and Cultures of Listening and Sound in Colombian Cities" will be published in the forthcoming issue of Latin American Music Review, a peer-reviewed journal published by the University of Texas Press.

In September, Velasquez Ospina attended II Congreso Internacional de Investigación Musical at the Banco de La República in Cali, Colombia, where he presented the paper "Parques, Kioscos y Cuerpos: Regímenes de Escucha, Disciplinamiento y Modernización del Espacio Público Urbano en Colombia Durante la Hegemonía Conservadora (1886-1930)." 

His research analyzes the relationship of music, listening, and public spaces in Colombian cities between 1886 and 1930, a period of intense urban modernization and reconfiguration of the structure and function of public spaces. A significant part of this process that Velasquez Ospina explores is the transformation of colonial plazas (squares) into parques (parks). This coincided with the introduction of new instruments and musical repertoires to symphonic bands, thus promoting new listening practices during retretas, or public outdoor concerts. Both processes produced new understandings of listening and sound in urban public spaces, transforming music and sound into means for disciplining and civilizing the citizens.

In October Velasquez Ospina will present another paper titled "Ruido,Espacio y Ciudad: Paisajes Sonoros Urbanos y Culturas de Escucha en Colombia (1886-1930)" at the XVIII Congreso de la Asociación Colombiana de Historiadores hold between Ocober 10 and 13 in Medellín, Colombia.

Congratulations to Juan Velasquez Ospina on the impressive progress on his research and much-deserved professional recognition!