Dr. Rastko Jakovljevic is a music anthropologist, graduated from the University of Durham (United Kingdom). Dr. Jakovljevic’s doctoral research focused on Marginality and Cultural Identities: Locating the Bagpipe Music of Serbia (2012), supported by the H.R.H. Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia and the Durham University Department of Music. His research is primarily focused on the music of the Balkans, anthropology of music, critical theory, cultural studies, popular music, and applied ethnomusicology.
Dr. Jakovljevic was a Research Fellow at the Institute of Musicology of the Serbian Academy of Science and Arts in Belgrade, Serbia. He published articles in professional journals, edited volumes, textbooks, and public press, and delivered a large number of public lectures, speeches, and conference proceedings in Europe and America. As a Primary Investigator, he was leading projects on Sound Digitization and Archiving, collaborating with renowned sound archives and institutes in Europe (Bartók Archives MTA – ZTI of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, IASA, and world-renowned Viennese Phonogrammarchiv) on rare collections and media research.
Dr. Jakovljevic coordinated one of the Serbian entries to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage program, establishing inscription and safeguarding practices at the national level, and supporting numerous programs for the preservation of endangered musical practices.
In 2015 Dr. Jakovljevic joined the University of Texas at Austin where he was teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in ethnomusicology and was awarded the prestigious Harrington Fellowship for research. He volunteered his services supporting the causes of numerous philanthropic organizations, governmental committees, and human rights campaigns in Serbia and the US.
Dr. Jakovljevic is an active member of the International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM) where he is co-chairing the Study Group for Musical Instruments. He is also a member of the American Society of Ethnomusicology (SEM) and was elected to their Ethics Committee in 2020. Dr. Jakovljevic has been active in other significant British professional organizations, such as Royal Music Association (RMA), and British Forum for Ethnomusicology (BFE). Among other affiliations, Dr. Jakovljevic was appointed as the President of Jeunesse Musicales Serbie and has served as a jury member for many international festivals, and music competitions (i.e. Gucha Trumpet Festival), numerous professional committees, and international research projects. He serves as a Director of the New York Institute for the Humanities and Social Studies since 2020 and leads numerous research programs.
