Charleston City Paper: Black classical music series fights persistent funding disparities 'The Last Water Fountain'

Lee Pringle founded Colour of Music Festival eight years ago to showcase black classical performers and composers
 

Lee Pringle

Charleston City Paper

By Alex Peeples

 Black classical music may be a foreign concept to many people. Not that there have not been a number of notable black classical composers over the centuries (George Bridgetower, Le Chevalier de Saint-Georges), but according to Lee Pringle, skilled black classical musicians across America are often not presented with the same opportunities to make a career of their music or the chance to play with other black performers.

That is why he founded Charleston's Colour of Music Festival (COMF) eight years ago. Usually, it's held at various venues in the city each October, but this year's festival has been postponed to Feb. 3, 2021. The festival consists of an all-black orchestra, as well as guest appearances from other classically trained black performers. The event seeks to highlight the historical and contemporary role black artists played in classical music.

Prior to founding the festival, Pringle produced concerts for the Charleston Symphony Orchestra for over a decade, including their annual Gospel Christmas and Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial concerts. Pringle had always noticed the lack of representation in the CSO's efforts, though he acknowledged that they have made improvements on that front since his departure in 2013.

"I suggested some ideas that didn't get picked up," Pringle said about his attempts to bring black musicians and compositions to the CSO. "That was when I decided 'I know so many people who went to conservatory and are now just waiting tables in New York or playing weddings and these are people with master's degrees in classical music.' That was how the Colour of Music got started. Of 2,000 orchestras in the United States that started to show up around the 1940s, all of whom get support from state and federal institutions, a large portion comes from white philanthropy. With 2,000 orchestras, less than 2 percent of the members on those stages are of African ancestry. It is truly the last water fountain for black people to drink from."

In 2014, there were 1,224 orchestras in the U.S., according to a study conducted by the League of American Orchestras.

Since its inception, the festival has hosted events in Pittsburgh, Nashville and New Orleans. "We've had to go to other cities to foster the appreciation of what our bold statement was," Pringle said. But being able to stay afloat and securing opportunities are very different. Like other black institutions in America, funding and exposure with help from the city and state are almost nonexistent. White-operated organizations and festivals often rest easy knowing that rich Charlestonians and city officials can swoop in with open wallets if money becomes an issue.