Carolyne Sumner

Dr. Carolyne Sumner is currently an Assistant Professor and Cross-Cultural Programming Advisor at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music, and has recently completed her PhD in Musicology from the same institution (2022). Her doctoral thesis investigates the gatekeeping activities of a network of musicians and music administrators who governed the cultural institutions crucial to the dissemination of Canadian art music during the mid-twentieth century, and evaluates the subsequent challenges posed by the implementation of a national cultural policy in Canada upon their activities during the postcentennial era. Since the beginning of her academic career, Dr. Sumner has presented her research at professional conferences including the American Musicological Society, the Canadian University Music Society, and the New York State-St. Lawrence Chapter of the American Musicological Society. Her work has been published in Les Cahiers de la Société québécoise de recherche en musique (SQRM), Intersections, and American Music. Over the course of her academic career, Dr. Sumner's research has been generously supported by various provincial and federal academic awards and grants, including the Ontario Graduate Student award and a SSHRC Doctoral fellowship award. Dr. Sumner is also Executive Director of DM@X (Digital Media at the Crossroads), an annual conference on the future of content in digital media in Canada.