Virtual Discussion Panel
:: Diversifying the Symphony
:: 2/26/07 - 3/2/07
Thank you for visiting this Virtual Discussion Panel. Although active discussion between panelists has ended, you are invited to post a comment to any panelist's contribution or to the discussion in general. Once submitted and approved, your comment will appear on the Polyphonic.org home page along with other recent comments to Polyphonic.org content.
About this Virtual Discussion (Click to Hide)
 |
Ann DrinanSenior Editor |
Diversity in the symphony orchestra means a lot of different things depending upon where you are. In Vienna it means finally allowing women to hold full positions in the 21st century, a situation that was corrected in the US quite a while ago with the advent of behind-screen auditions. In the US in the early 20th century, it might have meant hiring American-born musicians rather than Europeans. And certainly in the past few decades, it has meant hiring more African-American and Latino musicians.
But looking across the continent at the makeup of symphony orchestras, the ratio of men to women in professional orchestras is pretty even while the percentage of African-Americans and Latinos in symphonies is well below their ratio in the population. On the other hand, the percentage of Asian musicians in orchestras is higher than their percentage in the population.
Most orchestras are located in urban areas, many of which are primarily inhabited by people of color, yet symphony audiences are predominantly white, usually coming from the suburbs. Should an urban community care about its orchestra if it does not reflect the ethnic make-up of the community? Beyond presenting community outreach performances designed to appeal to the resident ethnic communities in the city, do orchestras have an obligation to do more? To diversify the ethnicity of the musicians on stage, on staff, and on the board?
Given that auditions for professional orchestras are now held behind screens and are conducted with every attempt to hire the very best player, regardless of ethnicity or gender, should we care about the diversity of our orchestras? Is it the job of orchestras to attempt to increase the numbers of African-American and Latino musicians hired, especially if this might mean not hiring the very best player for a position? One could say that, once the identity of auditionees was kept secret, women came into their own in winning positions in symphonies. Should not the same be true for various ethnic and racial groups?
Yet most musicians would agree that the problem with diversifying orchestras ethnically and racially is the lack of African-Americans and Latinos in the audition pool. Whose responsibility is this? Is it simply because of a cultural preference for different kinds of music? What should be the role of orchestras, if any, in increasing the number of candidates of color qualified to take highly-competitive symphonic auditions?
I’ve invited a diverse panel to discuss these and other issues involving diversity in the symphony. Aaron Dworkin, Founder and President, and Ada Sadykhly, Music Director, represent The Sphinx Organization; Charles Burke, Education Director, runs the Fellowship Program at the Detroit Symphony; Willie Anthony Waters, Music & General Director of the CT Opera, is also Artistic Advisor to the Houston Ebony Opera Guild; Aaron Flagg, Executive Director of the Music Conservatory of Westchester, is the former Director of Educational Outreach at The Juilliard School; and Jeff Garza (horn), Jennifer Snyder (viola), Laura Snyder (bass), and Alberto Suarez (horn) are members of the San Antonio, Virginia, Milwaukee, and Kansas City Symphonies, respectively. (Please see the Contributors > Panelists area for complete bios on all our panelists.)
To start the conversation, I’ve asked all the panelists to read Aaron Dworkin’s thought-provoking and controversial article, In Pursuit of Diversity in Our Orchestras, which is featured this month at Polyphonic. We’re also featuring a chapter from Julie Ayer's wonderful book More Than Meets the Ear about the history of the AFM's black locals and a short description by Virginia Symphony's Executive Director Carla Johnson of their Harmony project, for which they recently won a MetLife award. I’ve also asked the panelists, particularly our four symphonic musicians, to comment on their personal experiences.Panelists
Aaron Flagg's Opening Statement (Click to Hide)
 |
Aaron FlaggDean, Hartt School of Music, Univ. of Hartford |
Artists are often perceived as outside the national economic and political discourse. They live in the realms of personal expression, beauty, and transcendence where excellence is treasured through the world and for the ages. This dream-like vista is balanced with the realistic need of a living wage, benefits, and job security to sustain this personal expression over a lifetime. Given this stark contrast, no wonder attention focuses on the one musical industry, despite it trade/guild history and workman-like processes, that lives at the nexus of these conflicting images: the symphony orchestra field. The fact is that playing in a major symphony orchestra offers the promise of regular attempts at artistic excellence and a contract for a relatively stable and financially desirable job. Not only can you rely on the orchestra's support system, teaching opportunities are often more available due to its gravitas compared to many other musical endeavors. This all adds up to a bottom line that makes open access to this industry worth discussing.
The pristine promises of American democracy clash with the messy and largely unspoken racial history of the symphony orchestra in America, which has included segregated unions, lawsuits, overt racism in the audition process and "on the job," half-hearted attempts to address injustices, and a general lack of principled leadership. As long as we can still go to a concert in most cities and ask, "Where's the diversity?" there is still work to be done and a reason for discussions like this.
Forty-three years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964, America can now point to having another African-American US Senator and a serious Presidential candidate, a Governor, two Secretaries of State, two Super Bowl coaches, and numerous heads of major corporations and successful entrepreneurs. This past week alone, the Little Rock School District in Arkansas was released from federal court supervision of its desegregation efforts, having met obligations regarding its commitment to equal opportunity in education. Progress is being made. We now see universities, for-profit, and not-for-profit organizations such as Harvard, IBM, NPR, and the Juilliard School creating positions and offices dedicated to advancing institutional diversity. This is not in reaction to lawsuits, but for a business advantage. These organizations believe, as Intel's President and CEO Paul Otellini does, that "diversity is key to leadership in the global economy." They place a high value on recruiting the best people and on the ability to manage difference effectively.
For the orchestra field including the music schools that train people for it, how important or embarrassing is it that the Chicago Symphony, begun in 1890, hired its first African American in 2002? How long can we avoid responsibility by pushing for results 25 to 30 years into the future with comments like "we just need to invest in the arts education in public schools"? How long can we lay our hopes on, or hide our lack of concern behind, the advent in 1984 of "blinded auditions"?
One major manifestation of the racist view that African-Americans are inferior to whites was the belief that blacks could not play, conduct, or compose classical music; that the instruments and the music of Europe were somehow "beyond the reach" of darker-skinned individuals. In his recent book Third and a Mile: The Trials and Triumphs of the Black Quarterback, author William C. Rhoden describes a similar misconception in sports that says African-Americans could not play the position of quarterback because of the demands of the "thinking and leadership role." He asks whether or not the many achievements of NFL quarterbacks such as Doug Williams, Steve McNair and Warren Moon over the last twenty years have finally gained the confidence of a nation. I ask whether centuries worth of evidence, from 18th century Joseph de Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-George, violinist & composer, to the present (Samuel Coleridge Taylor, composer; William Grant Still, composer; Tania Leon, composer; Jack Bradley, violinist, Denver Symphony; Donald White, cellist, Cleveland Orchestra; Sanford Allen, violin, New York Philharmonic; Ann Hobson Pilot, harp, National/Boston Symphonies; Robert Watt, French horn, Los Angeles Philharmonic; James DePriest, conductor, Oregon Symphony; Wilmer Wise, trumpet, Baltimore/Brooklyn Symphonies; Judy Dines, flute, Houston Symphony; and many others) is enough to gain the orchestra field's commitment to ensuring equal access for all gifted artists.
Although dreams may be deferred or talents redirected, it is not a minority group so much as it is symphonic music itself that is suffering from this embarrassing lack of representation. There is a point where it will become economically and artistically unprofitable for orchestras to overlook conspicuous talent, and untenable to society that symphony orchestras in America do not do a better job of having all types of people on the podium, on stage, on staff, on the board, and on the subscription and donor list. I believe it is unwise for us to passively wait to get there.
I look forward to our virtual discussion.
Post Reply for Aaron Flagg's Statement:
Please log in to comment:
Comments for Aaron Flagg
Jeff Garza's Opening Statement (Click to Hide)
 |
Jeff GarzaPrincipal Horn, San Antonio Symphony |
In addition to being a Hispanic of Mexican descent, I happen to live and work in San Antonio, a city that is 60% Hispanic. Mexican culture is a major part of the city's identity and I would be surprised if any American orchestra has spent more resources and made greater effort in reaching out to this segment of the community than the San Antonio Symphony. While there have been some successes, I would say in general that the results have been disappointing. I'll write more on this later in the week.
I have tremendous admiration for Aaron Dworkin and the Sphinx Organization. I read his essay with great interest and, while I agree with the spirit of his thesis, I disagree with many of his proposed remedies. Obviously I come to this discussion from a background and experience that is probably very different from Mr. Dworkin's and I'm sure this may partially explain our divergent views.
In my six years as a professional classical musician, it has never crossed my mind that, as a Hispanic, I might be discriminated against. On the contrary, I find that American orchestras represent one of the most welcoming, open-minded workplaces imaginable. I think you would be hard pressed to name another workplace where people are more readily accepted regardless of ethnicity, religion, age, gender or sexual orientation. Also, American orchestras are already, in a sense, one of the most diverse workforces around. Looking down the roster of the San Antonio Symphony, I see musicians from Turkey, Syria, China, Japan, Serbia, Ukraine, Russia, France, Italy, Australia, Denmark and Brazil (not to mention our Korean resident conductor). I believe there are slightly more women than men in our orchestra and, except for the basses, we have at least one woman in every section (including the brass!).
Unlike some of our European counterparts, I believe American orchestras, since the advent of the screened audition, have been extremely fair in their hiring practices. While there have been several documented examples of European orchestras favoring white male musicians over females or Asians, this would be unimaginable in a modern American orchestra. This is why I find Mr. Dworkin's idea of introducing affirmative action into the audition process disturbing. He seems to be asking a system that has been remarkably successful and fair to allow handicapping for under-represented ethnic groups. Though I believe Mr. Dworkin's heart is in the right place, I think this idea would be rejected by many of the several African-American and Latino musicians who, especially in recent years, have made their way into the symphonic workforce. I believe that affirmative action is wholly justified in cases where there has been a historical prejudice against a certain ethnic group or gender, such as college admissions. I don't believe this has been the case in American orchestras for many years. Furthermore, I am gratified to know that my colleagues accept and respect me on the basis of my playing and my ability to work with them to produce the best performance possible. If I believed that my race had anything to do with why I was hired, I would always wonder how my colleagues really felt about me and if they held any resentment towards my appointment.
I'd like to re frame Mr. Dworkin's thesis. It is indisputably true that orchestras don't reflect the ethnic make-up of the American population. But I'd like to go a step further. Do conservatories reflect the "ideal" ratio? I don't have the data to back me up, but from my own experience I would venture to say that America's conservatories and music schools reflect roughly the same ethnic and gender ratios as most symphony orchestras (about 50/50 male to female, mostly white, some Asian, a few blacks and Hispanics). If this is true, than the first step shouldn't be lowering the bar for blacks and Hispanics at orchestra auditions; it should be encouraging talented young minority musicians to consider a career in music in the first place.
I believe that the root of this question revolves around cultural stereotypes in minority communities. I was raised in a mostly white community and while my parents speak Spanish, the only language spoken at home was English. When I developed an interest in classical music, it never occurred to me that there was something unusual about a Hispanic kid obsessed with the music of Gustav Mahler. It was only when I got together with my extended family that I realized that I was a little different. Because they were more connected to their Mexican heritage than I was, I think they viewed my interest in classical music with suspicion. To them, it might have seemed like I was "acting white."
I think the reason why you see relatively few blacks and Hispanics in the classical music field is the same reason why there are relatively few Latino rock bands and African-American country singers. There are strong cultural stereotypes that, in many cases, discourage talented minority students from pursuing an interest in classical music. These stereotypes may have been planted by the classical music industry but they are also nurtured by distrustful minority groups. I look forward to writing more in the coming week about how I think this issue can be addressed in conservatory recruitment, audience development and orchestra outreach.
Post Reply for Jeff Garza's Statement:
Please log in to comment:
Afa Sadykhly's Opening Statement (Click to Hide)
 |
Afa SadykhlyMusic Director, The Sphinx Organization |
Diversity in our nation's orchestras continues to be an issue of challenge and controversy. Since the 1990s, when the ASOL conducted their inclusiveness studies, the numbers of African-Americans and Latinos in orchestras have increased very slightly, from under 3% combined to less than 4% combined. As an organization which focuses its efforts on building diversity in the field, the Sphinx Organization has been able to report placement of 4 alumni in major orchestras within the past 2 years. While the news in a smaller snapshot may be encouraging, this continues to mean that representation of those ethnic groups in orchestras which have welcomed our alumni, was increased by 50-100%. Stepping back to evaluate this within a context of a larger picture yields results that are less than thrilling.
Where is the controversy?
Common Theory I: pool. As Music Director for Sphinx, who deals with musicians of color every day and each year when assembling the professional all African-American and Latino Sphinx Symphony, I am suggesting that the pool is very much here. This is a pool of perfectly qualified musicians who would play a critical role in diversification of our orchestras if they were to become a part of them.
Common Theory II: audition process. Outside of historical factors, which are a part of what has shaped our orchestras, there is another aspect: audition process. Are the top minority musicians coming to audition in orchestras?
While the answer to the latter cannot be given unequivocally, as our auditions are largely blind with most orchestras, based on preliminary surveys conducted by Sphinx within its alumni body, a large percentage of young qualified musicians do not appear to be driven to take the auditions. While reasons do vary, a clearly recurrent theme appears to be that orchestras simply do not appeal to young minorities who are looking to build careers in classical music.
As a group, I would like us to explore the "why" of my latter paragraph, as it may, hopefully, lead to theory III: self image and approach of orchestras themselves.
Post Reply for Afa Sadykhly's Statement:
Please log in to comment:
Laura Snyder's Opening Statement (Click to Hide)
 |
Laura SnyderBass, Milwaukee Symphony |
My opening statement may be short, not because I have nothing to say, but this is new for me to put down in print. I have been playing in the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra for 37 years and have enjoyed my time here and look forward to more years. When I came here and auditioned, I didn't think of being a black girl taking an audition, but a person who had studied very hard for the audition track. It would be very nice if it were like that all the time but it is not. One should not be put in an organization just for what they look like but for their ability. I believe early training is one of the keys to keeping the life of the symphony alive. If we don't expose the next generation to symphony music, we won't have to think about diversity.
Post Reply for Laura Snyder's Statement:
Please log in to comment:
Alberto Suarez's Opening Statement (Click to Hide)
 |
Alberto SuarezPrincipal Horn, Kansas City Symphony |
First of all, I am very excited to be part of this Virtual Discussion Panel. Today I will comment mostly on the hiring of new musicians.
I am very proud of the audition process in the Kansas City Symphony. We screen all rounds and only meet the candidate once they are offered the position. So our decision is solely based on what we hear and nothing else. I'm not sure I feel comfortable hiring a new member of the orchestra not based solely on merit. I feel like I should maybe relate this to medicine. Do we want our children to have the best surgeon in the state or should the doctor be the best according to the makeup of the community? The answer to that question is that we want the most qualified person caring for our child. Though music is not a life or death matter, we still want the most qualified colleague.
As far as marketing an orchestra goes, management should embrace the ethnic and racial makeup of its current and future musicians but should not base artistic decisions on how they look on stage. We are in a profession that requires us to choose the most qualified performer. I want the audition committee to hire a colleague that will improve the overall sound of the orchestra. I feel that artistic decisions should be solely based on the art form.
Orchestras are becoming more diverse everyday and we just need to encourage young people of all races to follow their dreams. We as members of orchestras should want to engage all of our neighborhood children, and management should encourage these activities with Community Outreach programs. I remember the excitement I felt as a high school student performing with our local orchestra, the Florida Philharmonic, in a side-by-side concert. The interaction I had with members of the Florida Philharmonic horn section helped me realize that not only could I join their orchestra, but also I would be welcomed.
Post Reply for Alberto Suarez's Statement:
Please log in to comment:
General Comments on This Discussion (Click to Hide)
By all means, we should celebrate the diversifying of the musical talent pool, but we shouldn't agonize over it if there are more of one group or another who win auditions.
The musical talent pool has always been diverse. The field has not always accessed that pool for the best players. The best players have not often been at the auditions. "Winning auditions" is not the only issue; getting all qualified people to the audition is also important.
In America, our values speak forcefully of equality of opportunity. If we agree with those values, we should be concerned, we should "agonize." If we agree that talent in any endeavor is spread out to all people, we should be concerned. We should also not allow the "banner of ability" to ignore or cloud the fact that legacy, opportunity, access, workplace culture, and networking all play critical elements in "determining who gets [and keeps] the gig," much like in corporate environments.
As far as celebrating goes, Canadian Steve Nash has been the NBA's MVP for two straight years. African-American Grant Fuhr was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003 and is ninth on the all-time wins for goalies. I call that celebrating diversity. By the way, how exactly does the orchestra field celebrate its diversity?