Alexandra Dreher

Alexandra Dreher is a Ph.D. student in Music History. She holds a B.M. in Vocal Performance and a B.A. in German from Pacific Lutheran University, an M.A. in Religion from Yale Divinity School, and a certificate from Yale’s Institute of Sacred Music. Her master’s thesis, “The Unsung Violence of a ‘Völkisch’ Hymnal,” explores how hymns from a 1941 German Christian hymnal marked a sonic manifestation of eliminating and dehumanizing Jews. The thesis includes discussion on how the hymns sought to reshape cultural and communicative memory and congregant listening practices. 

She looks forward to further exploring the intersections of music and sound with the sacred, technology, ethics, and politics. Alexandra also enjoys performing locally as a mezzo-soprano and is passionate about musical diplomacy, which she has pursued through work with the Diplomatic Choir of Berlin.