ZUMIX is excited to welcome Paola Cossermelli Messina as our new Radio Program Coordinator. Paola has worn many audio-flavored hats – previously as a radio producer in her home country of Brazil and a film sound designer – and has also worked as a Project Manager at Sound Thinking NYC and as a mentor for young writers, musicians, and media makers. While earning her M.A. in Sound Studies (The New School) and Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology (Columbia University), Paola received grants and fellowships to conduct an oral history of Iranian musicians, research Arab music in Brazil, and produce radio plays by Palestinian playwrights. She is also an avid bassist.
How did you get started working in radio?
I interned at a radio station when I was in high school. I’ve always loved listening to the radio, as a way of discovering new bands and new music. In college, I had a radio show called the Republic of Tea, where I combined music with short segments about tea. I would talk to people in the industry, interview them about it. I liked the idea of it being something very random–but that also has such a long history in many parts of the world. And people have lots of opinions about tea!
After finishing undergrad, I worked at a radio station for two years in Brazil. I started off answering phones, answering listener questions, and then I started producing daily morning shows. It was all local news programming, and it was fun, but I wanted to get more into music programming. So I eventually left to get my master’s degree, but I still love radio.
What do you find fascinating about radio?
Radio is an amazing tool for listening to others and communicating. That’s why it’s so exciting as a medium. I love how it bridges distance, through space and time. It’s interesting to think about what music people are listening to at different times, anywhere in the world. Radio is also different from a podcast or an audiobook: there’s a sense that it’s happening live, in this moment.
What are your favorite stations to listen to?
I listen to all different kinds of radio stations, from around the U.S. and around the world. There’s a great app called Radio Garden, which allows you to tune into stations that broadcast digitally all over the world. I’m also a huge fan of public radio and NPR.
I like to tune into the radio stations of places I’ve been to. I think you get a sense of the place, and also different music, different energy, at different times of the day. I’m from Brazil, and I listen to lots of stations from there now that I live in the U.S. It makes me feel closer to home.
Tell us about your previous work with young people.
I was a project manager at Sound Thinking NYC, which is an afterschool program in the CUNY system that’s tied to their applied theater program. It was the first year of the program; I was helping launch it. We started the program with the idea that it could be a space for students to express themselves.
That was the first job I had working with youth in a setting outside of school, where they’re given freedom and space to explore. It was amazing to help build that program and be a part of it. I led some of the more tech-y workshops on recording and producing music on Pro Tools. We went on field trips to recording studios, and had mentors come in and share what it’s like to work in the music industry in many different roles. We also had weekly Friday jam sessions. It was very exciting, and I realized that it was work I want to keep doing.
Tell us about your Ph.D. program at Columbia – a different way of diving into music and audio!
My dissertation focused on Arab memory and belonging in music. I learned a lot about research and building something with people. I did fieldwork in Brazil, so I was home, but getting to know my city in a different way – meeting people and talking about Arab music in Brazil, music and migration, music and family spaces. I love research, and I love deep-diving. A Ph.D. is a great opportunity to do that.
What are you most excited about as you start working at ZUMIX?
ZUMIX definitely feels like a continuation and also a new beginning. It’s exciting to be part of a community, getting to know East Boston and the people who make up the community. I’m excited to get to know the youth here and help make their ideas come to life, to see them experience that creativity and excitement over radio and being in front of a microphone, being live on the radio.
Being involved with radio again is exciting, but also the chance to see that curiosity in the young people is so inspiring. Their creativity will definitely ignite mine.
It’s such an inspiring position to be in, working with youth outside of school. They’re exploring; they’re getting to know something new and different. I’m also excited to work with this team; everyone has such a rich experience. I’m so excited to learn from everyone.
