If we want to prevent the next pandemic, we can look to medical history for clues – but art history has a lot to teach us too. As an ethnomusicologist, Austin C. Okigbo studies the music inspired by infectious diseases, from a 15th-century hymn sung for protection from the Bubonic Plague to songs written during the COVID-19, like "Quarantine Song" by Adam Sandler. Here he explains what popular music can teach us about how people behave during epidemics.

Dr. Austin Okigbo is the Chair of Musicology and an associate professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, College of Music. He has a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology and African Studies from Indiana University, a Masters in Sacred Music and Music Education from Westminster Choir College, and degrees in philosophy and theology from the Pontifical Urban University, Rome. His research focuses on religious music, musical diasporas, inter-religious, and inter-cultural dialogues. Before joining CU Boulder, he taught at Williams College, Harvard, and the University of Notre Dame. He's joined on stage by Angel Florencio-Zuniga, Erick Miranda, and Paul Wolf. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx