Brian Diettrich is an internationally recognised ethnomusicologist with a specialist background in music and dance of the Pacific Islands, and an interdisciplinary profile of research projects. Working at the intersection of ethnography and history, Brian's research reimagines the capacity of music within culture, society, and place. His research interests and publications explore Indigenous performance and decolonisation, ecomusicology and environment, as well as musical instruments, recordings and archives, film and popular music, and online music communities. His current projects explore the intersection of sound knowledge, song cultures, and space science. 

Brian has held research and executive leadership positions nationally and internationally. He serves as a Vice President of the International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance, an NGO in Formal Consultative Relations with UNESCO and with members across 130 nations. He was recently chair of local arrangements for the 48th ICTMD World Conference in Wellington (January 2025), has has chaired the ICTMD prize committee, the Oceania Study Group, and was programme co-chair for the 47th ICTMD World Conference in Ghana in 2023.  Brian is a member of the international advisory board for RILM (Répertoire International de Littérature Musicale) based in New York.  As part of his work facilitating new research initiatives, Brian has curated philanthropic-funded research awards and new international prizes for emerging researchers. Brian has undertaken research collaborations with the East-West Center (Honolulu), the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, the University of Ghana, Cape Breton Univesity in Canada, the Pacific History Association, and he has held residencies as visiting scholar at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, National Taiwan Normal University, and Nara University of Education in Japan.  Brian's research has been profiled by the Society for Ethnomusicology for its “Ethnomusicology Today” podcast series. He is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board for Lyrebird Press (University of Melbourne). Brian is a regular consultant for international funding bodies as well as cultural organizations in the Asia-Pacific region. As part of his community leadership, Brian is a member of the Wellington Advocate Network, which fosters events and industry opportunities.

An advocacy for the peoples and expressions of Oceania has underscored much of Brian’s publications. He has undertaken research projects in the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, the Marshall Islands, on Guam, among migrant communities in Hawai‘i, as well as in Aotearoa. His long-term research the islands of Chuuk since 2000 has resulted in numerous publications. His book projects include the co-authored book, "Music in Pacific Island Cultures" (OUP 2011), including a Chinese language edition, and the co-edited volume, "Perspectives in Motion: Engaging the Visual in Dance and Music" (Berghahn 2021).  Recent cross-disciplinary projects include, "Listening with Shell, Wood, and Fibre: Decolonisation through Musical Instruments" (2021-2024), "Musical Travels in Nan’yō" (2020-2022), and "Fostering Mātauranga and Inclusion in Space Science: New Sensory Renderings of Matariki, Rā, and Tahu-nui-ā-Rangi for Accessible Engagement" (2024–2026).  Brian is currenly working on new writing projects at the intersection of sound, Indigenous knowledge, and space science.  His explorations in astrophotography of deep sky southern objects can be found on the public website Astrobin.