Austin Young is a musician and scholar in the field of ethnomusicology. His research interests focus on music from the Pacific and East Asia. He also studies organology, (a subfield of ethnomusicology) having learned instruments from different world music cultures. As a performer, he specializes in bassoon performance, having played for over 10 years with various experience ranging from small chamber ensembles to symphony orchestras.

He attended SUNY Fredonia for his undergraduate education, studying music performance with the bassoon as his primary. There, he gained experience playing as a soloist, along with performing major symphonic pieces for wind ensembles and orchestras. After graduating from SUNY Fredonia, he attended Bowling Green State University for a master’s in ethnomusicology. During his time at BGSU, he also worked at the Music Library and Bill Schurk Sound Archives, where he had the opportunity to work with archival materials. For his master’s thesis project, he examined the musical role of the ‘ukulele between Hawaii and the mainland U.S. He is currently attending the University of Kentucky, where he is pursuing a PhD in music.