For 60 years, the United States’ Fulbright Program has fostered international understanding and knowledge, with awards that bring students, artists, scholars, teachers, and professionals from around the world to the U.S., and send their American counterparts across the globe.
The enormous benefits are evident in the experiences of two graduate students from Poland and Ukraine studying at the Frost School of Music through the Fulbright Foreign Student Program, and a lecturer in the Studio Music and Jazz Program who recently led a gospel music project in Iceland through the Fulbright Specialist program, which sends U.S. scholars to lead two to six-week projects around the world.
Part-time lecturer David Anderson, a gospel music artist who teaches classes in gospel and R&B, was chosen by the Fulbright Commission in Iceland to lead a program there for three weeks in March. His visit was part of America250, a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Anderson taught classes at two universities, gave lectures, and led the Vídalínskirkja Church’s choir in a gospel music concert—the centerpiece of his visit. He discovered that the tiny Nordic nation has a passion for singing together, making Iceland especially sympathetic to the music he has spent his life practicing.
“They love choirs in Iceland,” said Anderson, who is the music director at Miami’s New Jerusalem Primitive Baptist Church and has worked on recordings and concerts with John Legend, Will Smith, Kelly Rowland, the Super Bowl, and multiple gospel artists. “Almost every organization has a choir, even the police. They love getting together and combining voices and people. They have an amazing interest in gospel music.”
Anderson taught classes at the University of Iceland and the Iceland University of the Arts (IUA), where he worked with Phillip Doyle, a Frost School alumnus who is the director of the IUA's new Music x Innovation x Technology (MIT) program, modeled on the Frost School’s Modern Artist Development and Entrepreneurship (M.A.D.E.) program and created with the help of M.A.D.E. faculty Rey Sanchez, Daniel Strange, and Raina Murnak. Anderson had the MIT students compose gospel songs and featured them in the concert. “They said they had never had a class like this,” Anderson said. “They really enjoyed themselves.”
In his lectures, Anderson spoke of how gospel developed from spirituals and other Black American music, becoming infused with blues and jazz, to uplift people in difficult times. “A hallmark of gospel music is that it talks about hardship, but it provides hope and encouragement,” he said. “It validates people as a whole: we’re here as a community, we’re all singing these songs together.”
For the concert, he chose gospel mainstays including Richard Smallwood’s “Total Praise,” Edwin Hawkins’ “Oh Happy Day,” and Kirk Franklin’s “Melodies From Heaven.” The show was an overwhelming success, with a Fulbright Iceland social media post praising a “packed church filled with energy, joy, and a community comingtogether … an amazing celebration of music, culture, and connection!”
“It was explosive,” said Anderson. “Icelanders are very reserved. Afterward, the pastor said to me, ‘Oh my goodness, how did you get these icicles to melt?’”
Anderson was equally moved. “For me to go to Iceland and see how well the music was received was a reminder to me of how special gospel music is,” he said.
Polish jazz percussionist Sebastian Kuchczyński received a Fulbright Scholarship to pursue a doctorate at the Frost School’s jazz program, beginning in 2024. Already an accomplished musician, he has a master’s degree from the Berklee Global Jazz Institute at the Berklee College of Music; has his own label, Pomade Records; has won prizes at European jazz competitions; and has recorded a solo album and on 50 other recordings. “The chance for academic exchange and sharing experiences with other Fulbright alumni was incredibly inspiring to me,” Kuchczyński wrote on a Fulbright website, adding that he aims to contribute to the Polish and international jazz scene and engage in international music projects.
Fellow Fulbright Scholarship recipient Kateryna Alymova, who graduates from the Frost School’s Music Industry (MIND) master’s program in May, is a Ukrainian cultural manager, producer, and curator focused on contemporary classical music who has led and worked on music projects and festivals in her native country and around Europe. She said the Fulbright program offered a richer understanding and education that is crucial for her work.
“It is about exposure to new approaches, new perspectives, new professional circles and broader horizons,” Alymova said. “It was a mindset and a set of values that I wanted to be a part of.”
Alymova, who also has a master’s in classical piano, was drawn to the Frost School’s MIND program by its business focus, the faculty’s industry connections, and the emphasis on learning by doing. “The program is highly practical,” said Alymova, who also took classes at the University's Miami Herbert Business School. “Almost every course required us to apply what we were learning rather than only study theory. The number of professional meetings, networking events, and online connections I have built is difficult to count.” When she gave a presentation at the annual European Composer and Songwriter Alliance meeting in Brussels last month, she was confident discussing complex topics like copyright and the use of AI. “I not only understood the broader context but had a clear sense of what is currently happening in the industry,” she said.
She was inspired by the energy and culture of the Frost School and the U.S. “From the ease of communication to the speed of adaptation and openness to change, this environment accelerates learning and broadens experience in ways that are difficult to achieve otherwise,” she said.
The people were central to that environment. “My classmates, many of whom have become friends, along with alumni and industry professionals I met in Miami and across the U.S., created a really inspiring environment,” Alymova said. “Just being in that kind of community was incredibly motivating and a learning experience in itself. The professors were very approachable, always open to talking and willing to share advice and industry insight.”
She has also tried to represent her country. “Studying in a program I had dreamed about for years, while my country is at war and my family and friends are living under constant threat, creates a very surreal reality,” Alymova said. “It made me value this opportunity even more. It was important for me not only to study but also to act as a cultural ambassador for Ukraine.”
As she prepares to graduate, Alymova hopes to use her education to better sustain projects like Kyiv Contemporary Music Days, an NGO she co-founded that presents concerts, educational programs, and grants for artists, and to contribute to the larger music ecosystem.
“At the Frost School, I was able to understand how the system works as a whole, how different parts of the industry are connected, and how music businesses operate,” she said. “I’ve become more interested in the intersection of music, technology, and policymaking … This is something I want to continue developing.”
Not only for her own work, but for Ukraine. “I want to contribute to how Ukrainian music … is positioned internationally,” Alymova said. “Not just as something showcased or presented in specific contexts, but as an integral part of the global music ecosystem.”
