From Page to Stage, The Rediscovery of the Music of Gilda Ruta

On the shelves of the Library lie hidden musicological treasures – the compositions for voice and piano by Italian-born Gilda Ruta. Once a lauded composer whose music was played in Carnegie Hall, Ruta has since fallen into obscurity and her music has gone silent. Through the magic of research and performance, Malinda Haslett brings her music back to life as part of Summer Scholars.

Afro-Indigenous Brazilian objects in British Museums and Libraries

In her doctoral research, Luisa Karman explores the link between British imperialism and knowledge production that both propelled and were fed by extractivist practices on a global scale, leaving traces in institutions such as museums and libraries. In this talk she considers the context around objects sent from 1850s Bahia (Northeast Brazil) to the Kew Royal Botanical Gardens by British Vice-Consul James Wetherell and discusses the posthumous publication of his diaries and related first-hand accounts of British officers, botanists and traders held at the British Library. She also shares the research guide she produced as part of her PhD Placement at the Library, focusing on items pertaining to Afro-Brazilian religions in our collection.

Malinda Haslett
Malinda Haslett is a noted performer and scholar of music by women composers.

Luisa Karman
Luisa Karman is CHASE AHRC Doctoral Researcher at SOAS