George Walker: '...token representation is usually the norm for performance opportunities.'

[George Walker: Great American Orchestral Music, Vol. 2; Albany Records Troy 1178 (2010) ]

Earlier today AfriClassical posted: "I would like to respectfully urge the Brevard Music Center to program a significant number of works by Black composers." Composer George Walker (b. 1922) is an African American composer and pianist who is profiled at AfriClassical.com and at his own website, http://georgetwalker.com/ His creativity has continued to manifest itself in recent compositions and recordings, including the 2010 release pictured above, George Walker: Great American Orchestral Music. George Walker addresses the issue of diversity of repertoire at Brevard Music Center:

“Hello Bill,

Perhaps Bruce Murray should have waited to pen a 4th letter that would not appear to be so patently ludicrous. Orchestral programs are obviously not chosen by students and the same is true of chamber music. Piano students are most likely to bring what they know to their lessons at the Brevard Music Camp.

“On the other hand it is naive to expect that any music director, conductor or ensemble will program 'a significant number of works' by any one composer or a group of relatively unknown composers. One has to understand how programs are devised. This well-intentioned request should have been tempered with the realization that token representation is usually the norm for performance opportunities.

“You cannot convert or redesign an existent system. Thomas Wilkins will not spearhead this attempt nor will any of the other conductors and guest artists who have even played music by black composers in the past. They are no more than hired cogs for a few days in this rusty wheel. Brevard is a summer camp that will not do anything different from Tanglewood, Saratoga, the Blossom Music Festival or any other lesser known entities. Murray was awkwardly telling you that 'standard' repertoire sells and is the easiest for everyone to program.

“I am grateful for the fact that my Lyric for Strings is perhaps the most frequently played work by a living American composer. But this has impacted on the performance choices of many other works of mine that are more musically challenging.

Regards.

George”