Tyler Diaz

Black Composers, 19th Century American music, Military Bands, Social Dance Bands, Black Musical Communities

B.A. in Music and German, CUNY Hunter College

Tyler Diaz is a PhD student in the Departments of Black Studies and Music at Yale University. His research explores nineteenth-century African American music, with particular attention to regional communities in Philadelphia, New Orleans, and New England. As a Mellon Public Humanities Scholar, he investigated the historical continuity of African American musical traditions, with a keen focus on the life and works of Francis Johnson. At Yale, he aims to further theorize the influence of Black musicians on early American music and the foundational role they played in shaping musical practices in the United States.