Professor Eldridge Stewart’s research focuses on ethnographic analyses of contemporary classical music cultures. She teaches courses on music traditions around the globe, jazz, and musical activism. 

Her research interests include classical music cultures, sampling in gospel and hip hop, and interpolation across music of the African diaspora. Her forthcoming first book, Recital: the Uses of Classical Music in Haiti introduces a network of summer music camps in Haiti that demonstrate both the aesthetic and functional value of classical music. Her next book examines the community and educational outreach programs of US orchestras and the efficacy of their claims toward social justice. She has been published in Music and Politics, Women & Music, and Twentieth-Century Music, and has presented at national and international conferences, including the Society for Ethnomusicology, British Forum for Ethnomusicology, Haitian Studies Association, and the American Anthropological Association. She cohosts the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra broadcasts on St. Louis Public Radio. Lauren’s work has been extensively supported by the Mellon Foundation and the Institute for Citizens and Scholars, as well as by the Center for the Humanities and the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity and Equity at Washington University.

Web Story: "The significance of protest music in St. Louis and American history"