While the
musicians were in Memphis, they also took part in PRIZM’s in-school
programming, visiting two schools where they played for and with young
musicians. It’s another key component of PRIZM’s efforts to create
access to a diverse classical music scene. “Representation is very
important to a young person”, Washington said. “We as parents,
educators, and leaders have an obligation to create opportunities for
young people to see adults who look like them doing amazing things.”
With these inaugural performances complete – and a rousing success with
two sold-out houses – the next step for PRIZM Ensemble’s leadership is
to work to incorporate the PRIZM Chamber Orchestra into the 2017 PRIZM
Music Camp and International Chamber Music Festival. The Ensemble will
seek financial support over the coming months to ensure that the members
of the orchestra can come back to Memphis to work even more closely
with Memphis youth while performing for Memphis audiences.
“I’m trying to create a world where this isn’t a novelty,” Washington
says. “The thought should be: ‘We try to identify the best musicians and
we try to make sure the work we do mirrors and represents the community
in which we live.’ My dream for PRIZM Chamber Orchestra is that we
continue doing it, it expands and spreads nationwide, and then it
becomes something that’s not necessary anymore. It’s not something on
the fringe, it’s something at the center of the work. It’s part of the
culture.”
And indeed, Washington’s assessment of the impact of PRIZM Chamber
Orchestra on its members was accurate. The feeling in the pit throughout
the weekend’s performances was palpable.
“Every voice deserves to be heard, every young person deserves to
experience what it means to make art,” says violinist Kyra Sims. “But if
they don't see themselves reflected in that art, they may not realize
that that door is open to them. This is why I create. This is why I
play. I’m so grateful to PRIZM for giving me a chance to bring my art
back to the city where I grew up.”
Violinist Hannah Monk agreed. “I teach a diverse group of kids, and they
are the embodiment of everything that makes our city special,” she
says. “They are unique, creative, intelligent, and hilarious and many of
them love their instrument and love classical music. I do not want any
of my students to ever think that classical music is not for them. I
want each of them to be able to look at the faces of a diverse orchestra
and say, ‘This is what an orchestra looks like. An orchestra looks like
me.’”
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