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Music Citation Guide: Chicago Style (18th ed.)

Citation quick guide for music and music-related items using 18th edition Chicago Style formatting.

Published or Broadcast Interviews

In general, interviews can be cited like the format in which they're found - a YouTube video, magazine article, etc. - with the phrase "Interview by Name" added. Note that the Interviewee name should come first in these citations, rather than the author/creator/interviewer (CMOS 14.110). The following example comes from an online magazine.

Bibliography Entry:

LastName, FirstName. "Article Title." Interview by FirstName LastName. Magazine, Date. URL.

Abels, Michael. "Michael Abels on scoring Jordan Peele's latest horror epic Nope." Interview by Charles Steinberg. Composer Magazine, accessed October 7, 2025. https://composer.spitfireaudio.com/en/articles/michael-abels-on-scoring-jordan-peeles-latest-horror-epic-nope. 

Footnote/Endnote:

#. FirstName LastName, "Article Title," interview by FirstName LastName, Magazine, Date, PageNumbers, URL.

1. Michael Abels, "Michael Abels on scoring Jordan Peele's latest horror epic Nope," interview by Charles Steinberg, Composer Magazine, accessed October 7, 2025, https://composer.spitfireaudio.com/en/articles/michael-abels-on-scoring-jordan-peeles-latest-horror-epic-nope. 

In-text citation:

(IntervieweeLastName Year)

(Abels 2025)

Interviews by Author (You)

CMOS advises against putting unpublished interviews by the author in a bibliography. Check with your professor to see whether they'd like notes and/or in-text citations only, or if they want a bibliography entry, too.

Bibliography Entry:

IntervieweeLastName, FirstName. Interview by Author. Date.

McClary, Susan. Interview by Author. July 31, 2025.

Footnote/Endnote:

#. FirstName LastName, in discussion with the author, Month Year. Transcript available on request.

1. Susan McClary, in discussion with the author, July 2025. Transcript available on request.

[Or, if the transcript is online or in an appendix, note that location instead of "on request."]

In-text citation:

(Interviewee, discussion with author, Year)

(Susan McClary, discussion with author, 2025)

Lectures

As with published interviews, citations for recorded lectures mostly take the shape of the medium in which they're found, whether audio, video, or print (CMOS 14.164). The model below is for a lecture/speech found on YouTube.

Bibliography Entry:

LastName, FirstName. "Title of Lecture." LectureDate. Posted Date, by Creator. YouTube. URL.

Wright, Craig. "1. Introduction." Fall 2008. Posted December 7, 2012, by YaleCourses. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_yOVARO2Oc.

Footnote/Endnote:

#. FirstName LastName, "Title of Lecture," LectureDate, posted Date, by Creator, YouTube, URL.

1. Craig Wright, "1. Introduction," Fall 2008, posted December 7, 2012, by YaleCourses, YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_yOVARO2Oc.

In-text citation:

(LastName Year, Timestamp)

(Wright 2012, at 3:23)

Bibliography Entry:

LecturerLastName, FirstName. "Lecture Title." Medium at Host, Location of Lecture, Date.

McGuire, Charles. "The Patron and the Patronized: Music in the Social, Ecclesiastical, and Political World from ca. 600 to 1700." Lecture at Oberlin Conservatory, Oberlin, OH, September 10, 2025.

Footnote/Endnote:

#. LecturerFirstName LastName, "Lecture Title" (medium, host, location, date).

1. Charles McGuire, "The Patron and the Patronized: Music in the Social, Ecclesiastical, and Political World from ca. 600 to 1700" (lecture, Oberlin Conservatory, Oberlin, OH, September 10, 2025).

In-text citation:

(LastName Year)

(McGuire 2025)

If citing a paper or poster given at a virtual conference, type (virtual) instead of the location (CMOS 14.115).

Bibliography Entry:

PresenterLastName, FirstName. "Title." Medium, ConferenceTitle, Location, Date.

Feldkamp, Suzanna. "Enclosure, Exposure: Women’s Pain and the Voyeur at Work." Paper presentation, Music and Connection: MGSA Conference, Cleveland, OH, April 5, 2025.

Footnote/Endnote:

#. PresenterFirstName LastName, "Title," medium, ConferenceTitle, location, date.

1. Suzanna Feldkamp, "Enclosure, Exposure: Women’s Pain and the Voyeur at Work," paper presentation, Music and Connection: MGSA Conference, Cleveland, OH, April 5, 2025. 

In-text citation:

(LastName Year)

(Feldkamp 2025)