Maureen Rafter

Graduate Student (1st Year)

Maryland-born singer and scholar Maureen Rafter is a 2024 graduate of the George Washington University where she received her B.A in Music and American Studies. Maureen’s research interests include the inherently political messages of popular music as well as the cultural influences that have contributed to American contemporary sound. Additionally, she is passionate about interrogating musical practices, hierarchies, and the canon we have centered in our studies of sound. As a scholar, she is interested in undoing the cultural gatekeeping of previously underrepresented musical identities and working towards a new way of studying music that creates space for everyone. In addition to her scholarly work, she has a background in vocal and piano performance which she has continued through her time at GW. There, she studied musical theatre, jazz, and classical music as both a soloist and a member of numerous ensembles in the Corcoran Music Department.