Rate My Professor Julia Banzi

Julia Banzi is an accomplished ethnomusicologist, flamenco guitarist, composer, and educator with deep ties to the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she earned her Ph.D. in Music specializing in Ethnomusicology in 2007. Her doctoral dissertation, titled 'Flamenco Guitar Innovation and the Circumscription of Tradition,' meticulously examined transformative changes in the flamenco guitar tradition pioneered by Paco de Lucía. Earlier, at UCSB, she completed her Master of Music in 2002 with the thesis 'Women’s Andalusian Ensembles of Tetuan, Morocco,' which addressed a historical gap spanning nearly seven hundred years regarding women’s musical ensembles in the Arab world. Banzi's undergraduate education includes a Bachelor of Music from Lewis & Clark College in 1996. She further enhanced her qualifications with a Certificate in Mediterranean Studies from La Institución Milà y Fontanals (CSIC) at the Autonomous University of Barcelona in 2012 and a Certificate in Teaching and Learning with Digital Media for Adult Learners from UCSB in 2009. Within Arts and Culture, her research and performance expertise center on flamenco traditions, women's roles in Andalusian music, and global guitar practices.

Currently, Julia Banzi holds the position of Professor of Music, Ethnomusicology at Portland State University, Adjunct Professor of World Music at the University of Portland, and Adjunct Professor of World Music, Flamenco Guitar, and Folk Guitar at Lewis & Clark College. A trailblazer as one of the very few female flamenco guitarists worldwide, she honed her craft living and studying in Spain and North Africa for over twenty years under masters such as Isidro Muñoz of the Familia Muñoz-Sanlúcar, Felipe Maya, Juan Maya 'Marote,' David Serva (Diego del Moron), Rafael Morales, Gerardo Nuñez, and Antonio Rey, the 2020 Latin Grammy winner. As co-artistic director of the international Al-Andalus Ensemble, Banzi has toured worldwide for decades, releasing five albums and influencing the field through innovative performances blending flamenco and world music traditions. Her accolades encompass the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship, winner of the Peoples Grammy Award for Best World Music Song, and a nomination for Best Contemporary Classical Album. She frequently presents public lectures globally on guitar techniques, flamenco history, and women in music. Notably, many of her students have advanced to professional careers, including Elliott Smith. Her contributions have been lauded in El País as 'a delightful proposition of exquisite music.'