Christoph McFadden

Christoph’ McFadden is a fourth year PhD student in Music and African American Studies at Yale University. An honors graduate of Claflin University, Christoph’ holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music (Voice) and is a UNCF Mellon Mays Undergraduate Research Fellow. Christoph’s work sits at  the intersections of music, spirituality, and Black popular culture, attending to the stylistic, confessional, and commercial dimensions of African American gospel traditions. Christoph is also interested in the global impact of Black musicality both within the popular music industry and within global social movements broadly. Christoph’s dissertation, “You Brought the Sunshine:” The Clark Sisters, Gospel Fandom and the Practice of Celebrity, centers the music and fandom of The Clark Sisters to explore intersections between Black gospel performance, digital fandom, and celebrity status.

In addition to his research and teaching, Christoph’ assists the Program in Music and the Black Church, an initiative of Yale’s Institute of Sacred Music, which regularly hosts workshops, symposia, masterclasses and concerts for gospel musicians, students, scholars, and the general public. Christoph’s research and work is aimed at theorizing aspects of the gospel tradition that remain marginalized in academic settings, thereby promoting intellectual diversity, supporting practitioners while also reimagining the possibilities of a formal study in music.

Christoph’s research is enriched by his work as a vocalist, writer, Christian minister, and community advocate. He is affiliated with Yale’s Grant Hagan Society, The Society of Ethnomusicology and currently serves as President of New Haven’s (HAΛ) chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. In his many roles, Christoph leads with compassion, inspired by a persistent faith in love.