Jacob R. Wren is an artist, musician, and scholar whose work explores the intersections of music, philosophy, and cultural history. With a background in historical and critical musicology, his research examines how sound, media, and performance shape cultural identities, particularly in American folk, old-time, and bluegrass traditions. His scholarship engages with theories of indexicality, subjectivity, and performability. As an independent songwriter, he was voted one of Rochester, NY’s top four country and folk artists in 2022. In Fall 2025, he will begin his Ph.D. in Music and Sound Studies at Cornell University.