Daniel Sarkela

Adjunct Instructor of Classical Guitar

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Daniel Sarkela is a classical guitarist, ethnomusicologist, and Latin Americanist based in Greenville, South Carolina. An active performer, he has been a prize-winner in the Appalachian State Guitarfest, Florida State Guitar Festival, and the University of Florida Guitar Extravaganza. He has performed as both a soloist and in an ensemble across the US and internationally, including Carnegie Hall, the Paris Conservatory, and tours in Ecuador, France, and Finland.

As a researcher, Daniel Sarkela studies music and social movements in Latin America, presenting and publishing on protest song from Ecuador, Chile, Colombia, and Cuba. His current project centers on the Otavalo Kichwa people, an indigenous people group in the highlands of Ecuador, engaging with how music forms community and functions within indigenous activism. He frequently features music from his ethnomusicological studies in his concerts to broaden the canon of classical guitar repertoire.

Additionally, he teaches Spanish literature at the collegiate level with a focus on the Latin American Boom and Magical Realism.

Education

  • M.M., University of Florida
  • M.A., University of Florida
  • B.M., Furman University

Research Interests

Ethnomusicology, Music and Social Movements, Indigenous Studies, Latin American Studies

Publications

  • ¿La Vida Volverá? in Pandemic and Narration: Covid-19 Narratives in Latin America, edited by Luis A. Medina Cordova, Andrea Espinoza Carvajal (2024). Co-authored with Eunice Rojas

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