Xieyi "Abby" Zhang

Foundation Studies: Theory and Composition

Xieyi (Abby) Zhang is a music theorist specializing in musical form and tonality of music from the nineteenth century, especially that of Antonín Dvořák. His dissertation examines the use of antecedent modulations in Dvořák’s antecedent-consequent periods. Abby has presented papers on this and related topics at the annual meeting of the Music Theory Society of New York State, as well as in several meetings of the Society for Music Theory.

In addition to the music of Dvořák, Abby researches Christian hymns and contemporary worship songs, with a particular interest in the interactions between text and issues of form, harmony, and musical embodiment. He has presented this work at several conferences, including the annual meeting of the Society for Christian Scholarship in Music.

Prior to his position at Georgia State University, Abby taught at Brooklyn College and Hunter College at the City University of New York (CUNY). Abby completed his Ph.D. at the CUNY Graduate Center, having previously obtained his Bachelor’s in Music at the University of Toronto. Abby is an active pianist who has performed in New York and Toronto.