The department is thrilled to announce the appointment of renowned songwriter and producer Maya Shipman, professionally known as Suzi Analogue, as Teaching Assistant Professor of Music.
“The Department of Music at Carolina is excited to welcome Maya Shipman to our faculty. Professor Shipman brings an immense amount of knowledge and experience as a producer in electronic music,” remarked Professor and Chair David Garcia. “Her specializations in music production, technology, and diplomacy have had a global reach and will contribute greatly to the department’s and the university’s new curricular goals of preparing our students to be lifelong learners and creators in a 21st-century world.”
Suzi Analogue is already acquainted with the music department, having come just this past year as a guest artist with the Beat Lab for an exciting workshop on experimental beatmaking. Ph.D. Candidate Kelli Smith-Biwer, who was then the Graduate Music Technology fellow and helped bring Suzi Analogue for the workshop, wrote, “Suzi builds immediate rapport in the classroom because she relishes new sounds, finds joy in fresh takes, and encourages experimentation and play. When teaching or giving feedback, she listens with care and precisely pinpoints which ideas to amplify to take student music to the next level. Her relentless positivity and carefully honed production skills are a powerful teaching combination, and I cannot wait to watch students thrive under her mentorship.”
Suzi Analogue has also worked with other music department faculty members, including Professor Mark Katz. “I’ve had the pleasure of working with Suzi for several years now,” said Professor Katz. “I’ve seen her teach workshops and collaborate with a diverse range of students and artists in Ghana, Uganda, and here at Carolina, and she connects immediately with everyone she meets. She’s a wildly creative, internationally-known artist and successful entrepreneur who will bring so much to the Department and University.”
When asked about her decision to come to Carolina, Suzi wrote, “I am thrilled to bring over a decade of my music experiences to the music department at UNC. Over the last few years, my practice has often intersected live performance, music production, cultural diplomacy and education and I cannot wait to share these areas with students who are looking to positively impact their world. Through my own experiences with the UNC Department of Music, I’ve come to realize that the program is currently evolving to offer diverse perspectives and strategies on utilizing music not only as a skill set, but as a resource to better engage community, locally and globally. This aligns with my mission as an artist, educator and member of the global music community. This year, I look forward to meeting students interested in production as well as directing the Hip-Hop Ensemble.”
Quoting the biography on her website, “Suzi Analogue is a prolific Producer, Songwriter, Composer, Member Of The Recording Academy /Grammys & Creator Of Never Normal Records based in Miami, FL. She is energetically pioneering the new wave of women producers in electronic music & beyond.
Gaining worldwide recognition for her own diverse electronic productions, her music has found homes on Billboard charts, New York Fashion Week runways, Networks like Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, Boiler Room and worldwide radio including BBC.
Her music process includes electronic experimentation with cutting-edge music technology and synthesizers. Her global performances have been witnessed worldwide spanning continents including Africa, Asia, Europe and USA.
Suzi’s work is shaping culture.”
Some highlights of her performance and touring career include MOOGFEST, Hopscotch Fest, iiiPoints Festival, Noise Pop Festival, Nyege Nyege Festival, MoMA PS1 VW Sessions, F00TW3RK MCA Chicago, Museum Of Contemporary Art Detroit, Frieze Art Fair NYC, Norton Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, Essence Mag Sensory Wonderland, Bloodfeast Adult Swim Live Performance, Bonobo North American Tour x TOKiMONSTA, Sylvan Esso North American Tour, Princess Nokia World Tour, Bleep Bloop Spring Tour, ZONEZ Asia Tour, ZONEZ World Tour, as well as workshops at SONOS, University Of Michigan, Cornell University, Brown University, U.S State Department Cultural Ambassador & more.
Suzi Analogue’s appointment is effective July 1, 2022.
Follow Suzi on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
by Catherine Zachary, ’10