Dr. Mary Mazurek
Assistant Professor
Specialty
Classical Music Recording, Acoustic Music Recording, Aesthetic Noise, Philosophy of Noise, New Media Art
About
Mary Mazurek, PhD is a GRAMMY-nominated recording engineer, interdisciplinary artist, educator, and author of Aesthetic Noise: The Philosophy of Intentional Listening (Routledge, 2025). She received a GRAMMY nomination from The Recording Academy at the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards for Best Engineered Album, Classical for Liquid Melancholy: Clarinet Music of James Stephenson. Her engineering work is regularly broadcast on WFMT Radio and WFMT.com, reaching audiences across the United States and internationally through the European Broadcasting Union.
A leading advocate for women in audio鈥攚ho represent less than 5% of the recording engineering field鈥擠r. Mazurek serves as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Chairperson for the Audio Engineering Society. She was inducted into the Resonator Hall of Fame for her audio engineering and advocacy work by the organization We Are Moving the Needle. She is a voting member of The Recording Academy and Latin Academy, and a past governor and task force chair.
Dr. Mazurek began her professional career at Universal Recording in Chicago in 1991. Her credits include the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Yo-Yo Ma, Kronos Quartet, Michael Feinstein, Howard Levy, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, and the New York Philharmonic. Her recordings appear on labels including Cedille, Naxos, Delmark, MSR, and Sounds True.
In parallel with her audio career, Dr. Mazurek is an interdisciplinary artist whose sound- and image-based work has been exhibited in Chicago, New York, Mexico, and Berlin. She holds an MFA in Interdisciplinary Art and Media from Columbia College Chicago and a PhD in Philosophy, Aesthetics, and Art Theory from the Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts. Her research examines noise, perception, and intentional listening in contemporary aesthetic practice.
Website:
Publications
(2025) Routledge.
(2022) AES
(2018) WFMT.com
Recordings
Bella Voce 鈥 Andrew Lewis Artistic Director; Liza Calisesi Maidens, conductor (2024) Centaur
James M. Stephenson, composer; Lake Forest Symphony; Vladimir Kulenovic, conductor (2022) 脟edille
John Bruce Yeh, Lake Forest Symphony; Vladimir Kulenovic, conductor; Chicago Pro Musica; Alex Klein, Patric Godon (2019) 脟edille
Radio Broadcasts & Livestreams
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Marin Alsop, conductor; Michelle Cann, Piano (2024) WFMT Radio and CSO.org
(2025) Classical Music Chicago, live from St. James Cathedral, Chicago
(2024) Classical Music Chicago, live from St. James Cathedral, Chicago
Podcasts
(2026)
(2024)
(2024)
(2022)
Awards
Resonator Hall of Fame Inductee, We Are Moving the Needle (2026)
Chicago DCASE Individual Artist Grant (2025)
Communicator Award of Distinction Category: Live Radio Broadcast Audio Producer, 鈥淭he Chicago Symphony Orchestra Live from Ravinia鈥 (2025)
Communicator Award of Excellence Category: Audio Production, 鈥淲FMT: Apollo鈥檚 Fire Road to Dublin鈥 (2024)
Communicator Award of Excellence Category: Live Radio Broadcast Audio Producer, 鈥淭he Chicago Symphony Orchestra from Ravinia, Marin Alsop, conductor; Stewart Goodyear, Piano鈥 (2023)
Communicator Award of Excellence Category: Sound Editing, 鈥淩ancho La Puerta Tips for the Ranch鈥 Podcast (2022)
GRAMMY Nomination Best Engineered Album Classical, Liquid Melancholy Clarinet Music of James M. Stephenson (2019)