Saturday, September 11, 2010

Symphony: 'Some progress is being made, but true diversity onstage and off remains elusive.'


[ABOVE: Ann Hobson Pilot BELOW: "Cellist Mitzi Okou, with accompanist Sharon Berenson, performs at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's annual Talent Development Program Spring Recital"]

In the July-August 2010 issue of the magazine Symphony, Susan Elliott takes an in-depth look at the question of why U.S. orchestras do not reflect the U.S. population. One of the authorities quoted in the article is celebrating his 40th birthday today – Aaron Dworkin, Founder and President of the Sphinx Organization. He is profiled at AfriClassical.com. Here is a very brief excerpt from Susan Elliott's article:

The Magazine Of The League of American Orchestras
July-August 2010
“Breaking Through
by Susan Elliott
Inclusiveness is a goal for every American orchestra.
Some progress is being made, but true diversity onstage and off remains elusive.”
“As Dworkin points out, orchestras lag behind virtually every other profession in hiring minorities. The United States has a black President – admittedly, the first in the country's 234-year history – while black college presidents, governors, doctors, lawyers, and high-profile entertainers, from comedians to movie stars to rap musicians, are familiar figures.

"In conversations with musicians, educators, and administrators, the reasons for the dearth of minorities in our orchestras are myriad and complex. The problem has historical precedent, and it is solidly entrenched. It is educational, generational, psychological, practical, and all of the above. And it's not necessarily about racism. 'We look very little to the past,' says Dworkin. 'There's no overt prejudice out there today.'

"Ann Hobson Pilot, who was principal harp at the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1969 to 2009, and, as such, a pioneer in the field, points to the educational system. 'The issue of minorities in orchestras has not improved as much as it might have, because there's so little opportunity for kids to study instruments at an early age,' she says. 'I began the harp in 1958 at the [public] Philadelphia High School for Girls, which had an extremely intensive music program. If it hadn't been for that program, I never would've started the harp.'”





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