Bob Santelli, University Director of Popular Music and Performing Arts, gives a talk to listening OSU students and faculty.
By Carly Johansen
Jan. 27, 2020
Oregon State University’s Director of Popular Music and Performing Arts, Robert (Bob) Santelli, won a Grammy Award on Sunday night. Luckily for Oregon State students, his portfolio will soon include an online course for OSU Ecampus, too.
Santelli, alongside Jeff Place and Pete Reiniger, won a Grammy for putting together “Pete Seeger: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection,” an anthology of the late singer’s career. The team won Best Historical Album for their work. The album is the third in a Folkways trilogy honoring influential folk musicians Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly and Seeger.
Before Santelli’s arrival at Oregon State in 2016, he served as the executive director of the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles and as one of the original curators of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He has been an active and essential part of the OSU performing arts program since landing in Corvallis.
Currently, Santelli is developing a course, MUS 200 – American Music Tradition, with Ecampus and the College of Liberal Arts. Set to launch online later this year, the course will include listening journals and explorations into song popularity tracking with data visualization. It aims to make students think critically about the cultural impact of American music.
Moreover, Santelli hopes that the class can help ambitious students to “attempt to become part of the music industry in the future.”
Keep an eye out for more information on Bob Santelli, his Grammy Award and his course soon!
