Claire Detels is Professor Emerita of the University of Arkansas Dept. of Music with an MA and PhD in Historical Musicology from the University of Washington and a BA from Colorado College. Always fascinated with the relationship between cultures and artistic styles, Claire initially intended to major in anthropology. Although she ended majoring in music, her interest in style and culture found its place in the study of musicology, as well as music performance. She has published many books and articles and presented many scholarly papers on opera and aesthetics (see vita),;and chaired and served on committees on aesthetic education and gender studies for the American Society for Aesthetics and the College Music Society. Most recently she has also specialized in studying and playing piano music of women composers and African-American composers from the Delta region. Her teaching specialties at the University of Arkansas (1982-2008) were Western music history, harpsichord and early music, opera, aesthetics, and gender studies.
