It’s a delicate art to talk about something uncomfortable such as racism, sexism, and any other squirm inducing -ism, especially since this field already has to push back against misconceptions of elitism. But at the same time, we’re no different in this regard than any other business and addressing the dark and ugly sides is something that needs to be done. Case in point, conductor Bill Eddins tackled racism in an article from his blog, Sticks and Drones, on 8/19/2011 titled Uncle Tom’s Orchestra.
With more than 170 Facebook shares plus dozens of additional social media broadcasts, it has caused quite a stir. The response has been a widely dispersed mix of approval and disapproval; just take a look at the comment thread for a representative cross section of what I’m getting at.
Nonetheless, I recommend taking the time to read the entire piece and if you feel so inclined, leave a comment.
Douglas Rosenthal published an article on 8/1/2016 that tackles the difficult topic of sexual harassment inside the orchestra field. Although the topic is always…
With more than 170 Facebook shares plus dozens of additional social media broadcasts, it has caused quite a stir. The response has been a widely dispersed mix of approval and disapproval; just take a look at the comment thread for a representative cross section of what I’m getting at.
