Matthew Mendez

Matthew Mendez is a music historian and media scholar whose research addresses the intersections between African American singing voices, recording industry histories, and critical legal studies. His current book project, Haunted House Blues: Bessie Smith, Vocal Possessions, and the Media of Redress, examines one of the first intellectual property reparations lawsuits in U.S. history.  

Mendez also has interests in the cultural politics of intellectual property as it pertains to live debates surrounding the computational singing and speaking voice.  

Matt is a doctoral candidate in music history at Yale University, where he also completed a graduate certificate in the Film and Media Studies Program. He has master’s degrees from the University of Edinburgh and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and he received his BA from Harvard University.