Tysen’s current work investigates the racialized aesthetics of low-level psychological states in the reception of early American minimalism. The project connects music transcription and analysis, auditory neuroscience and music cognition, ethnography, archival work, and critical race theory to make sense of first-person experiences of minimalist compositions. The work entails experimental psychology studies in collaboration with the NeuroMusic lab, the Music Engagement Research Initiative, and the Culture and Emotion lab.

Other research interests include post-Democratic revolution Mongolian popular music, the “indie classical” scene, global minimalisms, and New Age music and its reception.

Before coming to Stanford, Tysen worked as an organist and collaborative pianist, taught piano, served in the Peace Corps, and worked for the agency domestically. 

Tysen’s work is currently supported by a Ric Weiland Graduate Fellowship in the Humanities and Sciences. He performs as a solo and collaborative pianist.