Department of Music & Dance senior Helkin Sosa has been recognized as a Rising Researcher by the University of Massachusetts, one of only nine students to earn that distinction during the spring 2023 semester. Launched in 2013, the Rising Researcher program recognizes undergraduate students who excel in research, challenge their intellect, and exercise their exceptional creativity in their chosen field.
Helkin, who majors in Music Composition, is also a music producer and an accomplished trumpeter who performs as a member of Jazz Ensemble I, the university’s top jazz big band. He released his debut album, H.F.S, in 2022; the album’s intro track, "InSaNE," was recently presented at the Jazz and African American Music Studies’ (JAAMS) annual Showcase in March. Outside of UMass, Helkin is a member of the Jazz'd in Time Collective, a group of Latin and blues musicians who perform regularly in the western Massachusetts area.
When asked to reflect on the factors that have inspired him in his musical pursuits, Helkin pointed to “the community that is created within a musical ensemble and the power music has to generate emotion and thought in the listener.” He credits a number of UMass faculty for supporting him in his musical endeavors, including JAAMS director Jeff Holmes, Salvatore Macchia, Eric Berlin, Tom Giampietro, and Chris White. Helkin and White have been collaborating on a research project about the cadential tendencies in vaudeville music, which has been submitted for consideration to various music theory conferences.
Click here to read the full interview with Helkin; information about the Rising Researcher program and his fellow awardees can be found here.