<p> The <i>khrueangsai pii chawaa</i> ("Thai stringed instruments with Javanese oboe") ensemble in central Thailand is a unique and highly-regarded ensemble known for its repertoire, idiosyncratic tuning, high level of technical difficulty, and exceptionable virtuosity. <i>Khrueangsai pii chawaa</i> is reserved for very special royal functions including processions and dramatic performances of royal literature. Royal authority indirectly controls the performance and transmission of the ensemble and its repertoire, which is now maintained professionally only by the Fine Arts Department of the Thai government. At present only a few musicians are capable of performing or teaching the repertoire and performance style for this ensemble. The selection of new students is competitive and politicized. The <i>khrueangsai pii chawaa </i> ensemble is rare and kept largely outside of the gaze of ordinary spectators in Thai society. Nonetheless, a few individuals in institutions outside of Bangkok have tried to build <i>khrueangsai pii chawaa</i> ensembles, challenging the limits of authority and exposing tensions within the musical community. I argue that royal authority functions to keep this musical ensemble endangered by design, so that those chosen to participate maintain a powerful control over the tradition and repertoire and thereby preserve their unique social status.</p>

<p> Wuhan Han Opera Theater (WHOT, formerly Han Opera) is a 400-year old regional opera based in Wuhan, in Hubei Province, in China. WHOT&rsquo;s recent designation as a <i>public institution</i> under China&rsquo;s neoliberal creative economy initiative to enter the global market has necessitated its transformation from a <i>cultural institution</i> (<i> wenhua jigou</i>) into a <i>creative industry</i> (<i> wehua chanye</i>). As such, WHOT must now create adaptive strategies, alter traditional conventions of performance, infrastructure, education and community presence, reconstitute traditional social functions at the national level, and most importantly, manage a relationship with the government that is entirely novel for both. In the summer of 2016, WHOT participated in two government-led projects: Opera into Campuses and the Chinese National Arts Fund. These programs were the focus of my ethnographic fieldwork, to identify possible effects of the creative economy initiative on a traditional musical institution. Specifically, inquiry was made as to whether and how creative musical and organizational adaptations were being decided, implemented and executed, and as to how the outcomes of these adaptations were being evaluated. Despite using an ethnographic approach, findings from the preliminary study were found to be much more broadly generalizable and applicable across disciplines than expected. As a result, this thesis makes the following arguments: for modernization of an institution of traditional music to be effective, a relationship must exist whereby the transitioning institution is given creative license to generate continued socio-cultural productivity through its creative class (&ldquo;talent&rdquo;) in joint cooperation with, rather than dependence on, government agencies. The goal must be to revitalize rather than simply preserve such an institution, and to avoid cultural attrition of unique musical qualities of the institution.</p><p>

<p> This study investigates the <i>siku</i> of Argentina, Peru, Bolivia and Venezuela; and the <i>shakuhachi</i> of Japan and their effect on Western classical flute repertoire. By exploring the histories, construction of the flutes, and the role each flute has in its society, a better understanding of these flutes and the cultural aesthetic in which they work will be achieved thus creating a higher level of authenticity when performing these pieces. The pieces being surveyed are <i>Flute 3.2.4.</i> by Adriana Verdie and <i>Nesting of Cranes</i> by Wil Offermans. Notes on technique of what the author found useful when playing these pieces are found at the end of each chapter.</p>