Kieran Alexander Foss

Kieran Foss is a first-year PhD student at Columbia in the area of Historical Musicology. Prior to arriving in New York, Kieran lived in numerous locations across Canada and the United Kingdom, most recently hailing from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. As well as being a musicologist, Kieran is an accomplished classically trained tenor, having performed with numerous opera and musical theatre organizations across Canada. Kieran holds master’s degrees in both vocal performance (MMUS) and musicology (MA) from the University of Victoria and a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance (BMUS) from the University of Ottawa. His current research focuses on gendered language in medieval English commentaries on devotional music. He also has interests in opera studies, film music, philosophy, and Greco-Roman mythology. Kieran is grateful to have received a four-year Doctoral Fellowship from the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) to support his doctoral research. Kieran has been active as an actor and singer since 2008, appearing with Opera Lyra Ottawa, Pacific Opera Victoria, Saskatoon Opera, Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre, and the Opera Nuova Festival to name a few. He is also an avid recitalist with a particular interest in German lieder. Kieran was a finalist in the 2021 Federation of Canadian Music Festivals national round. When not researching or performing, Kieran enjoys stand-up comedy, reading classic literature, and exploring the many neighborhoods of New York with his partner Allison.