Born in Bangkok to university professors of interior design, Jittapim “Nan” Yamprai seemed destined for a career in academia. After earning degrees in business English, ethnomusicology, music history, and library science, she taught at Mahidol University in Thailand – where she developed a doctoral program for the school’s college of music – and at the University of Northern Colorado here in Greeley. Nan accepted a full-time position with UNC in 2015, and today she’s responsible for developing new courses and teaching in three departments: the School of Music, Asian Studies, and Anthropology.
While Nan’s scholarly attention has been focused primarily on the meeting of East and West in music history – like, say, “Franco-Siamese Music Diplomacy in the Seventeenth Century” – her current work is happening a little closer to home. She calls it “The Soundscape of Greeley,” part of an ongoing interest in integrating research into actions that promote, support, develop, and ensure the wellness of the entire community.
