Institute For Composer Diversity Begins Rolling Out 2019-2020 Season Report

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The Institute For Composer Diversity (ICD), which evolved from the Women Composers Database project, released their initial 2019-2020 season report. The report tracks the overall number and percentage of masterworks series works from women composers and composers of color. The online report provides concise datasets that illustrate each orchestra’s percentage and number of works in total season along with their League of American Orchestras group number. Since we’re neck-deep in 2019-2020 …

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Meaningful Diversity Is Closer Than We Think

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While I am all kinds of happy to see service organizations and foundations allocate increased resources to addressing meaning change on issues related to diversity, it still feels a bit like trying to catch up by going slower. All the planned efforts are excellent; providing mentoring, audition prep, financial support, and highlighting minority musicians to potential employers are necessary programs. At the same time, there are options capable of catapulting the …

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All I Want For Christmas Is Some Gender Equality And Diversity. Is That Too F*@!ing Much To Ask For?

Here in Chicago it’s Midwest Clinic week. If you aren’t already familiar with Midwest, it’s the international mega conference for bands and orchestras of all stipe that routinely draws just under 20k attendees. Among the numerous sessions, a trio of offerings devoted to the topic of gender equity jumped out at me. Unfortunately, I am up to my eyeballs in deadline work and am unable to attend. But thanks to the largesse …

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Using Documentary Filmmaking To Help Reconfirm Classical Music’s Relevance

The 11/3/2018 edition of The Baltimore Sun published an article by Tim Smith about a new documentary titled R.A.W. – From Destitute to Doctorate by Baltimore filmmakers Darren Durlach and David Larson. It’s a great overview article that introduces the documentary about tubist Richard White, who went from being homeless, eating from trash cans, and abandoned on the streets of Baltimore to earning a position as an orchestral tuba player, one of …

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Better Late Than Never?

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The 9/20/2018 edition of the Los Angeles Times published an article by Mark Swed that features an interview with Simon Woods, the LA Philharmonic’s new CEO. It a good get-to-know-you interview that provides Woods a platform to address some of the topics on his mind about where the orchestra is and where he wants it to go. To that end, one of the primary goals on Woods’ mind is increasing diversity …

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