About Summer Scholars Lunchtime Talks
Join us for two lunchtime talks.
From Page to Stage, The Rediscovery of the Music of Gilda Ruta
On the shelves of the Library lie hidden musicological treasures – the compositions for voice and piano by Italian-born Gilda Ruta. Once a lauded composer whose music was played in Carnegie Hall, Ruta has since fallen into obscurity and her music has gone silent. Through the magic of research and performance, Malinda Haslett brings her music back to life as part of Summer Scholars.
Afro-Indigenous Brazilian objects in British Museums and Libraries
In her doctoral research, Luisa Karman explores the link between British imperialism and knowledge production that both propelled and were fed by extractivist practices on a global scale, leaving traces in institutions such as museums and libraries. In this talk she considers the context around objects sent from 1850s Bahia (Northeast Brazil) to the Kew Royal Botanical Gardens by British Vice-Consul James Wetherell and discusses the posthumous publication of his diaries and related first-hand accounts of British officers, botanists and traders held at the British Library. She also shares the research guide she produced as part of her PhD Placement at the Library, focusing on items pertaining to Afro-Brazilian religions in our collection.
Malinda Haslett
Malinda Haslett is a noted performer and scholar of music by women composers.
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She has sung over forty leading operatic roles, and countless recitals and lectures. She is an Associate Professor and Artistic Director of Osher Opera Theater and the University of Southern Maine in the United States. She is a 2026 Eccles Institute Visting Fellow.
Luisa Karman
Luisa Karman is CHASE AHRC Doctoral Researcher at SOAS
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Luisa Karman was born in São Paulo, Brazil, and moved to London to study History of Art at SOAS and UCL, focusing on West African arts and their links to the African diasporas in Latin America. Seeking to further excavate collections and contested museum ownership with a commitment to cultural dignity and heritage justice, Luisa is now CHASE AHRC Doctoral Researcher at SOAS.
About the Summer Scholars Lunchtime Talks
The Summer Scholars season of lunchtime talks is hosted by the Eccles Institute for the Americas and Oceania at the Library and showcases the exciting and wide-ranging research into our Americas collections by the Institute’s Visiting Fellows and associates, as well as Library staff.
About the Eccles Institute
The Eccles Institute builds, curates and preserves the Americas and Oceania contemporary collection at the Library and champions knowledge and understanding of these regions through a rich programme of fellowships and awards, cultural events, research training, guides to the collections and initiatives for schools.
For more information about the Institute and our collections, visit our webpage or contact eccles-institute@bl.uk. To see more events relating to the Eccles Institute, visit our events page.
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