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The Classical Music Community Reckons With Racism canon%C2%A0-racist-how-collective-black-musicians-are-exposing-racism-classical-music

"The 'Canon' Is Racist": How A Collective Of Black Musicians Are Exposing Racism In The Classical Music Community

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GRAMMY.com speaks to the anonymous team behind the Instagram account @OrchestraIsRacist, which provides a platform for musicians of color to share their stories of experienced racism in classical music
Lia Pikus
GRAMMYs
Aug 18, 2020 - 11:36 am

Classical music, like many industries across the nation, is finally reckoning with its long-standing racial inequity problem. With an overwhelmingly white, Eurocentric canon, few internal mechanisms for accountability and institutional hierarchies that quell dissent, the world of classical music has proved particularly impervious to heeding calls for racial justice. Entrenched in tradition, the industry has allowed its outdated systems to endure, largely unchallenged; according to a 2016 report, Black musicians still make up less than two percent of the nation’s orchestral members. Intrinsically fixated upon the distant past, classical music has long resisted the path towards a more equitable future. That is, until now.

In the wake of the protests that have swept the nation over the past few months against police brutality and systemic racism, classical music is at last addressing its deep-rooted institutional biases. As musicians of color come forward to share their stories of racial injustice, organizations and individuals are being held accountable for their actions and encouraged to take responsibility for effectuating meaningful change moving forwards.

One Instagram account, Orchestra Is Racist, lies at the epicenter of this movement. Run by a collective of Black musicians, the page provides a platform for musicians of color to share their stories of experienced racism in classical music, from education to orchestral hiring processes to dealings with arts' administration. In addition to providing a space for musicians of color to share their experiences, the account also aims to effectuate tangible change in the field, reaching out to institutions and individuals to ensure their commitment to change. Says the team, "Until orchestras stop being racist, we will continue to exist. As orchestras adapt and morph, so will we."

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A post shared by Orchestra Is Racist (@orchestraisracist)

GRAMMY.com spoke with the team to discuss the account, classical music's shifting landscape and the industry's path forward. In order to protect members’ anonymity, the interview was conducted entirely via email. "While we have no fear of de-anonymizing ourselves, we want to keep the focus on the stories presented and less on us," explained the team. "There may be a time when it makes sense that we reveal our identities, but for now we will continue to maintain this anonymous platform for people to speak out and foster change." You can follow them on Instagram @orchestraisracist.

What were your initial goals for the page? Have those goals changed or expanded as the account has grown?

We wanted to offer a platform for people to air their grievances and traumas. We want to offer this anonymously so that the submitters feel safe enough to share without feeling punished. It’s too often the case that people of color are not heard, not taken seriously when they file a complaint, or they’ll be labeled problematic. Sometimes they simply just don’t file a complaint for those same reasons. Or, they feel nothing will come of it. We want to be a page that spotlights the traumatic burdens we have had to carry—largely in silence—for years. More than just showcasing problems of racism, we act to hold these institutions accountable. So, those goals are basically the same today. And with the growing number of followers, you can see that people are taking our complaints and us more seriously. Organizations and institutions are responding to the stories, making policy changes, making personnel changes, redesigning their curricula. The combined and coordinated efforts of the page and the followers have helped push these organizations in the right direction.

In the future, we are planning to create a task force that will attempt to quantify racism in the orchestral world and propose concrete changes based on those data. You will see Tom Batson’s statistical analysis of orchestral programming on our page. We'll do more of this with the task force.

We are planning to create a fund that will support BIPOC musicians' education and involvement in the orchestral world. That may be money for lessons, for instruments, for legal representation so they can combat racism in college and the workplace, etc.

"BIPOC trauma isn’t a fad and it wasn’t fixed with a black square."

What did it feel like to see this page start to gain attention? When you started the account, did you see it reaching this level?

It's great to see the page grow. What's better is to see the results we are getting from organizations that are making genuine changes. The comment sections always have some gems of real anti-racist education and sentiment from our followers. As we grow, we force these institutions and the media to continue to grapple with these issues. BIPOC trauma isn’t a fad and it wasn’t fixed with a black square. We have serious work to do and to continue doing! The outpouring of support is not surprising and it has been reassuring to see allies and "ally-wannabes" engage with the page and to see the global and genuine support network that BIPOCs create.

It was also heartbreaking to see the page grow so much. It is obvious that there is a real reckoning that needs to happen at these institutions. They really need to start making concrete changes—not just PR statements. These problems are pervasive—it’s not just one university or conservatory. It’s many places, over the entire trajectory of someone’s career and it’s tragic to see so many people affected. The dream would be that people don’t have to do go through what we went through.

Recently, chief classical music critic of the New York Times Anthony Tommasini authored a piece calling for the end of blind auditions in orchestral hiring processes to promote racial diversity in American orchestras. Do you think this approach would ultimately be helpful or harmful in increasing racial diversity?

Unhelpful. It’s counterproductive, misleading and clearly didn’t include appropriate research. Tommasini missed the mark! It was an article that supposedly had good intentions, but it would have been better to discuss it with musicians of color before printing. (We're assuming that didn't happen…because it's so out of touch). The most obvious and crucial omission is that the screen comes down in the final round of most all auditions, which defeats the purpose. Committees remove the screen, see that you're of color, and that's where the racism happens. They start inventing musical reasons for why you don't belong. And this isn't solely an American issue. Just look at the Vienna Philharmonic…For most orchestras, the "blind audition" is just a liability issue or just "meritocracy theater."

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDpKgUmgarz

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Following up on the previous question: Are there specific aspects of the classical music world that have allowed the industry to ignore institutional racism and individualized experiences of racism for so long?

Almost every aspect of classical music, as it is currently, cultivates a toxic and racist culture. That doesn't mean that every participant in classical music is racist, obviously. The specific aspects that sustain institutional racism are: hero worship; classism and elitism; unbalanced power structures (like the relationship between students and private teachers; the fear-based mentality that your teacher can "make or break you"); access to quality education and opportunities, especially for lower socioeconomic students—classical music is cost prohibitive for many prospective practitioners; respectability politics and classical musician stereotypes that serve to flush out individuality (for example, the flak that Yuja Wang gets for wearing short skirts is endemic of classical music's respectability politics rooted in the intersections of classical music and Christian worship—the altar, god-figures, etc.); the way classical music history is taught as a sanitized, sexist, queerphobic, whitewashed, and white supremacist version of history; lack of reporting protocols for racism; the way orchestras are funded and governed by "pay-to-play" boards;
"outreach programs" that are missionary-like PR campaigns. We could go on…and it is our page's work to address all of these issues.

How do we then adopt more equitable structures that include mechanisms for accountability moving forwards?

One way to move forward productively is to create an EDIB [equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging] watchdog that is independent and investigative. We also published a post that crowdsourced answers as to what orchestra can do to become more equitable. There’s no silver bullet for racism that has been trained and engrained in classical music for 400 years.

In what ways do you think access to resources and opportunities disproportionately affects people of color in the classical music world? How do you see the path forward in making accessibility and exposure to classical music more equitable from early training onwards?

Certainly, access to classical music education and resources is an issue. Partaking in classical music comes with certain upfront costs that are prohibitive for many people of color. And people need to continue to create ethical and anti-racist outreach organizations that teach and support young people of color. But what we reject is the argument that there just simply aren’t enough talented musicians of color. False! Many musicians of color leave the field because of the abuses against them, racism from their colleagues and teachers, institutions that don’t offer mental health resources and financial difficulties. Institutions can counter these reasons for leaving the field with smart policy changes.

In terms of early music education, we need more access to musical education in lower socioeconomic backgrounds through youth programs. Music educators need to stop selling lies of classical music exceptionalism to their students. Orchestras need to form long-term partnerships with youth to support them and provide training within the orchestral setting.

As it stands currently, the classical canon is overwhelmingly populated with works by white European men. Do you think that classical music can be extricated from white Eurocentrism moving forwards? What changes do you hope to see in programming and within the canon itself?

The "canon" is racist—it’s an arbitrary set of guidelines set by historically dead white academics. There’s no aesthetic reason why Beethoven is better than, say, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, except for the fact that one has achieved mythic status and is consistently played. It’s the mere exposure effect—we like things more the more often we see or hear them. Make no mistake, we love Beethoven, Bach, Brahms, and even Wagner, but they aren’t the totality of classical music. Educational institutions have a moral, ethical and scholarly duty to change their curriculum to include more about composers and musicians of color, women and the LGBTQ+. Contextualize their musical output, problematize their lives and works. Many of the composers that we play currently were only deemed "white" sometime in the early 20th century. Whiteness is just like the canon—an arbitrary set of guidelines set by dead white men.

Orchestras need to do the work of performing works by Gabriela Lena Frank, Julia Perry, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Tan Dun, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Francisco López Capillas, Chinary Ung, William Grant Still, Gabriela Ortiz, Margaret Bonds, Tania León, Florence Price, Marcos Balter, George Lewis, Qu Xiao-Song, Errollyn Wallen, George Walker, Toru Takemitsu, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, James Wilson, Yoshirō Irino, Ulysses Kay, Zenobia Powell Perry. The list goes on. Orchestras need to commission works by composers of color. There are several good websites out there that will show you a database of composers of color and compositions of color. Every concert should feature a composer of color. Why not? This needs to be the new norm.

In some of the posts on your account, I’ve noticed instances of individuals refraining from being specific when detailing their experiences out of fear of losing their jobs. What do you say to those currently pushing for change who are simultaneously trying to navigate the unfortunate reality that they may still need to work within the context of a discriminatory system to succeed?

You're right. The posts vary in level of detail offered. And what you see is what we receive. We just copy and paste. But there is still the very real fear, especially within a field this small and with so few people of color, that speaking up will out you. So all of these stories are acts of bravery. For those who need to speak out without fear of retribution, we encourage them to reach out to us. Sharing these stories is a form of cathartic release and that may be all that the person can do in the moment until retaliation has been curtailed. There are too many institutional structures in place that preclude BIPOCs from feeling empowered to speak out, and that’s the way the system likes it.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDcRUcCgOHl

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A post shared by Orchestra Is Racist (@orchestraisracist)

What are the long-term changes you want to see in the industry? What are some specific policies and directives you would like to see institutions adopting right now?

We just want equal rights, equal opportunities, fairness, and to be treated with dignity. That amounts to orchestras recruiting qualified board members and leadership of color, people who are aware of and sympathetic to the issues of systemic and structural racism and have the wherewithal to change it. No token hires.

Orchestras can make the audition process more fair by keeping the screen up; create mentorship schemes that train pre-professional musicians of color in orchestral playing; revise the tenure process so that it is quantifiable and not subjective; commit to commissioning works by musicians of color; commit to performing works by composers of color; hire more soloists, vocalists, and conductors of color; white musicians can speak out when they see or hear something racist.

Institutions can broaden their curriculum to include composers of color side-by-side, on equal footing, with the dead white men; create hotlines and reporting/investigation systems for anonymous claims of racism; they can establish and support Black Student Unions; mandate cultural awareness and anti-racist training for all the faculty and staff; require bystander intervention training; commit to performing works by composers of color; offer mental health, community support systems, and mentorship.

One easy-to-implement suggestion is that conservatories and music schools include required works (concerti and sonatas) by people of color in the audition requirements. This both sets the tone for the institution’s commitment to EDIB and encourages a generation of prospective students to learn and perform these works.

If orchestras need help with the path forward, we encourage them to reach out to us. We can point them in the right direction. Use us as a resource.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

Regarding "cancel culture," briefly. We collect stories and give them a platform to be heard, recognized and empathized with, for people to support and use as leverage for change. We just sound the alarm, someone else (organizations) has to put out the fire. We have never advocated for the firing of anyone, and we have not doxxed anyone (screenshots of social media messages, emails, and text messages aren’t private). If an organization chooses to fire someone, that’s their prerogative. Sometimes the best and only way to change the culture is to change the personnel. Orchestra Is Racist invites all people to come to the table, knowing that their words and actions have been deeply traumatizing and detrimental to the involvement of BIPOCs in the arts, and commit to doing anti-racist work on themselves and in their craft.

"Nothing Like This Has Ever Happened": How Orchestra Musicians Are Faring In The Pandemic

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Lang Lang at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, Germany

Photo by Stefan Hoederath

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Lang Lang On The Inspiration Behind His New Album lang-lang-inspiration-behind-his-latest-album-why-aspiring-concert-pianists-should

Lang Lang On The Inspiration Behind His Latest Album & Why Aspiring Concert Pianists Should Never Give Up

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The piano virtuoso opens up to GRAMMY.com about the ways in which he immersed himself in Bach's 'Goldberg Variations' and the deeper inspiration behind his new album
Crystal A. Frost
GRAMMYs
Sep 20, 2020 - 8:00 am

Optimistic, bold and authentic—who better to take on the Goldberg Variations than 38-year-old piano virtuoso, Lang Lang? The GRAMMY-nominated concert pianist and philanthropist released his 10th studio album on Sept. 4, fulfilling one of his lifelong dreams of recording Johann Sebastian Bach’s most challenging solo keyboard work, the Goldberg Variations. First published in 1741, the work consists of a theme and 30 variations and was written for a young keyboardist named Johann Goldberg to play for the Russian Ambassador, Count Keyserling, as a treatment for his insomnia.

Lang Lang, whose music career began 20 years ago when he was barely 18 years old, has built up to this moment for all two decades, having also studied the beloved Bach piece in his youth, like young Goldberg. For this groundbreaking two-part recording project, the Beijing-based pianist traveled to Bach’s very own St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, Germany, where he recorded the work both live in concert as well as in the studio in Berlin.

In this interview, Lang Lang opens up about the ways in which he immersed himself in Bach’s world and the deeper inspiration behind his new album. Read on to learn what sets Bach apart from other composers, and why young pianists should never give up their dreams.

You just completed a massive project which involved recording and performing one of Johann Sebastian Bach’s most important works in his very own St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, Germany. What was this experience like for you?

It was like playing next to Bach’s spirit. It’s unbelievable that he worked the rest of his life there, from age 38! I also played his Baroque organ, which still looks almost the same as when he was there. In fact, I visited several other locations with Bach history in order to connect with him. On the way to the St. Thomas Church, I stopped at his first job’s location in Arnstadt, Germany, where I tried his very first Baroque organ. I also went to his home, which is now a museum in Leipzig, and played the Goldberg music from his original manuscript on his harpsichord! It is really incredible—it is almost like he is still alive.

What is it that you love about Bach that sets him apart from all of the other composers?

Bach was the beginning of a huge generation to come. For us concert pianists, Bach made so many voices with his mathematical methods. His music was not only horizontal and melodic, but vertical—making the keyboard sound like a symphonic orchestra! Before Bach, music was melody-driven and, while it had beautiful melodies and nice feelings, it didn’t have bricks. After Bach, the harmonic component of music became much more solid—he built pyramids with music. In a way, he is the greatest architect of classical music.

I understand that you studied Bach’s Goldberg Variations when you were just a teenager. Is it true that you performed this major work in full at just 17 years old?

Yes, I was a replacement of Andre Watts at Chicago’s Ravinia Festival. It started when I played a Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto, which was my first time playing in one of the major five American Orchestras. I was so overwhelmed after the concert, and then Christoph Eschenbach and a few other musicians asked me whether I can play more music…specifically Bach, who is considered more challenging than Tchaikovsky. I told them, “Yeah! I know the Goldberg Variations." He said "Okay. Do you want to do it?" It was crazy and I decided, "Yeah, yeah sure let’s do it!" So I played the whole thing actually, that night, and that was my first big public appearance.

The Goldberg Variations is such a massive, complex body of work. How did you begin intricately studying something so giant at such a young age? What was your secret?

I watched a film, on video cassette at that time, of Glenn Gould playing The Goldberg Variations in 1981. This was 1992 when I was 10 years old. I was watching Glenn Gould play this on the crappy television, and I thought to myself, "Wow! I never thought Bach could be played this way!" Until that point, I was quite reserved when I would play Bach because I always thought Bach was very strict, where you can’t do crazy things. And then I see Glenn Gould—he played with such excitement and everything he was doing was so unusual, so exciting, and so beautiful! It was then that I realized, wow—you can actually play Bach in a much more emotional way than I originally thought. So I began practicing the Goldberg Variations as an exercise, and that is how it all started.

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Lang Lang performs Bach's Goldberg Variations at the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, Germany.
Photo credit: Stefan Hoederath

And now we fast forward 20 years later when you are 38—just like Bach was when he began working at St. Thomas Church. Are there any important lessons you drew from your younger self or others as you began this new recording project?

I think the greatest part about starting so young is I was able to memorize it so well for this project—it is a very hard piece to memorize! But the more important development occurred in the last three years as I began getting into the Baroque style on actual Baroque instruments. This is something that I never had training in as a kid because I was always just playing on the piano. As you know, piano is a very different instrument from the harpsichord or the organ. Though there is an authentic way of playing Bach on the piano, I decided to go and study with a harpsichordist Andreas Staier, a German Baroque master. It was he who really helped me to understand everything: the structure of the Baroque sound, the strategy, and more importantly, how to work on the slower passages.

It seems like so much goes into learning Bach! What else makes Bach’s music unique?

To play Bach is really like playing jazz music. The reason I’m saying that is because, in classical repertoire, like Beethoven or Brahms, if you change even one note you are probably already dead to the classical music community. But in Bach’s Baroque music, you get to add all different sorts of ornamentations. In fact, all across the Baroque repertoire in France and Italy as well, there were so many decoration notes and ornamentations! Because of this, every night you are playing the piece a little differently, so in that way you are really like a jazz musician. Bach also never writes dynamics or articulations clearly, giving us much more room to do improvisation. To me this is still unbelievable, and a great advantage.

This album features two full recordings of the Goldberg Variations—one in concert, and one in the studio. You pointed out that performing live in concert you get to enjoy the work as a collective whole, but in the studio you get to enjoy the nuánces of each individual movement. Which of these recording environments do you prefer, and why?

Actually, I love both! The studio is very great because I can be relaxed and take a lot of time to listen back, and if I don’t like something, I can re-record it. Glenn Gould said he 100% prefers studio recording for Bach; that way he can work really hard and have a timeless piece. This is why I decided to record the Goldberg Variations in the studio. But at the same time, I first wanted to have the experience of recording the piece at Bach’s church in Leipzig in order to feel Bach’s original spontaneous feelings. If I had known it was going to be such a magical night though, I would have had eight cameras and an entire crew! The live recording sounds like an old record, and that is only because of the sound of the church. That kind of sound you can not copy in the recording studio; you cannot mimic that atmosphere. In the studio, you do everything five times. So, while it also comes from the heart, it doesn’t have the sincerity and authenticity of the concert hall where all you have is that one beautiful moment.

Which of the 30 Goldberg Variations is your favorite?

My favorite variation is Variation 25—it’s the slowest, most painful, and struggling, but with real hope. It’s almost like snails trying to climb the mountain; even though it feels like he/she goes one step forward and two steps back, it’s still going up very slowly, which is why I really think this variation is the most special one. To practice, I would say Variation 26. This is a great variation; a very joyful one to practice.

When you look back on the past two decades, what other music projects or achievements are you the most proud of?

I would say my Carnegie Hall Live in 2003 is something that I feel very proud of, and it was also my Carnegie Hall recital debut. Also, my recording with Maestro Nikolaus Harnoncourt, The Mozart Album, is another I feel very proud of. And then, there is one more: Prokofiev 3 and Bartok 2 with The Berlin Philharmonic. Of course every recording I try my best, I really do, but I think for these recordings I had a more personal means of expressing on behalf of the composer, and expressing the piece itself. I feel you must really know the historical context and take a lot of time in order to understand these particular composers. This is completely unlike composers from the Romantic Era because, even though you may not know their lives so well, their music is so emotional that you can just receive their spirit very easily. But with Mozart, Bach and even Bartok, you have to really dig. Bartok actually has a very dry sense of humor…it is like he knows something mysterious from another part of the universe!

You’ve collaborated with Metallica, Herbie Hancock and many other big names in the past. Do you have any other big collaborations coming up after the pandemic ends?

Well, I was very excited when actually during the pandemic I had a collaboration with Celine Dion, John Legend and Lady Gaga for the One World concert back in April. I was really grateful to be a part of that. I am also grateful to the GRAMMYs though, actually, because they are sort of responsible for several of my collaborations. Who knows, maybe my next one will be with some other big pop artist or something EDM! That’s what’s so great about the GRAMMYs—there are no limits—only good music!

Speaking of your virtual concert in April, how has the quarantine been for you?

I'm okay. I have spent the time practicing at home and learning new repertoire. I am also teaching. We have many schools both in America and China, so we decided to begin a lot of online teaching. In fact, we are also planning a virtual concert at my Foundation, which is in partnership with the GRAMMY foundation for music education. The virtual concert will be in December for all of our music students in America, China and parts of Europe to do performances, and professional musicians who are involved will give talks about the importance of music education in the world. So the quarantine is not great, not ideal, but it's okay.

What are some words of wisdom that you would like to share with young pianists who look up to you and are pursuing a career as a concert pianist?

I would say, never give up your musical dream. Know that it is really hard to become a professional musician, so you have to be really strong in both your mind and in your heart. There will be a lot of difficulties in life, but music really makes us think much bigger than who we really are. Music really brings us to another dimension in life, so the goal is to always remain fresh with your music-making. As a professional player, you can get bored of practicing and lose direction, but you must never stop searching for new ways to improve yourself. That flame, our fire in our heart, it is passionate and can be disorganized but we must continue to practice music every day to never let the flame die.

"The 'Canon' Is Racist": How A Collective Of Black Musicians Are Exposing Racism In The Classical Music Community

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The Chicago Symphony Orchestra 

Photo by Todd Rosenberg

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How Orchestra Musicians Are Faring In The Pandemic nothing-has-ever-happened-how-orchestra-musicians-are-faring-pandemic

"Nothing Like This Has Ever Happened": How Orchestra Musicians Are Faring In The Pandemic

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Members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Philharmonic open up to the Recording Academy about the unprecedented shutdown that forced them out of the concert hall indefinitely
Crystal A. Frost
GRAMMYs
Jun 17, 2020 - 10:50 am

Beginning in March of 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic placed the U.S. in lockdown, the lives of musicians all around the world drastically changed. International tours were postponed, longstanding music festivals were canceled, and the era of the virtual concert began as indie and Top 40 artists alike took to Instagram Live and YouTube to continue bringing live music to the ears of their beloved fans. But what about the musicians whose careers revolve around being a part of something much larger than themselves, and whose voices ring purest when surrounded by an ensemble of 100 or more players? 

Orchestra musicians all across the country have had their lives upended in drastic ways, many of which the music community is unaware. The Recording Academy reached out to three of the nation’s most influential orchestras in order to get a closer look at how the musicians themselves are fairing during this challenging time. Members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO), New York Philharmonic (NY Phil), and Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil) opened up to us about the experiences, fears, coping mechanisms and hidden gems surrounding the unprecedented shutdown that forced them out of the concert hall indefinitely.

Shocked By Lockdown

When the lockdown began, Stephen Williamson, principal Clarinet player for CSO, was on his way to a concert when he learned the news. "I was [driving] to CSO for a performance of Rhapsody in Blue when I got a call that the concert was canceled," he shares. CSO's Associate Concertmaster Stephanie Jeong, the youngest member of the orchestra ever to hold this prestigious title, was in Kansas City visiting her boyfriend when she learned of the Shelter in Place order going into effect in Chicago. "I ended up staying in Kansas City, and I’m still here."

What was hoped to be a temporary shutdown soon turned into a stay-at-home order with no end in sight, and the shattered economy that accompanied it was something many musicians didn’t anticipate in the United States. "In my almost 30-year tenure with the orchestra, nothing like this has ever happened," explains CSO bass player Robert Kassinger. "Maybe once every 10 years a concert had to be canceled because of weather conditions, sure, but nothing like this." 

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Chicago Symphony Orchestra Associate Concertmaster Stephanie Jeong
Photo by Todd Rosenberg

Rebecca Reale, violinist for LA Phil, had a similar reaction. "I think I just convinced myself that it wouldn't happen over here like it happened in China and Europe," she recalls. "But then it very quickly turned into reality that we will be off work for the foreseeable future."

The entire concert season was canceled for all three of these renowned orchestras. Forced out of the job indefinitely, the ensembles' more than 300 musicians have collectively been coping with both job insecurity and musical deprivation. "I [needed to] regroup and recover from the shock of all concerts being canceled," shares Anthony McGill, Principal Clarinetist for NY Phil, adding that the orchestra is used to playing four concerts per week. "It's tough for any musician who's used to [making] music together, in a group." Kassinger explains. "We communicate with each other and we communicate with the audience. When you take that away, it's very hard to know how to proceed." Furthermore, Kassinger has the added challenge of being a bass player. "The bass is a very social instrument, you know. It works best when combined with others."

For full-time orchestra musicians, listening and feeling are just as important as playing, regardless of which instrument they play. Relying on the conductor and the community of instrumentalists around them, orchestra players are a unique breed of musician in that they do not rely on a spotlight to feel fulfilled as an artist. Quite the contrary, the one common thread that ran through each of the interviews was the shared longing to be a part of an ensemble once again. "It’s always better to be a part of something much bigger than myself, and that’s why we are orchestral musicians. We want to share our gift, not only with our fellow musicians on stage but with an audience," Williamson points out. Wesley Sumpter, percussionist for LA Phil, expresses the same sense of longing. "I miss it. Way too much. More than I thought I would," he says with a sad chuckle. "You practice differently when you’re getting ready to perform for an audience. Right now, we are all trying to…find the motivation and inspiration to continue to play music."

"When we’re on stage we feel the presence of the audience. Missing that is definitely a big part of this. It plays a big part in how we feel." — Wesley Sumpter, LA Philharmonic

The country has lost over 20 million jobs since the pandemic hit in mid-March, bringing about a record unemployment rate of 14.7% not seen since the Great Depression. Fortunately, endowments are keeping these musicians afloat for now, though at a lesser rate. "We are lucky to be getting paid at all, but it’s scary not knowing how long they’ll be able to afford to keep it up," one orchestra musician pointed out.

Making The Most Of It

Thankfully, there are hidden gems to be found amidst every misfortune if we make a point to look for them, and these musicians are an excellent testament to that. For CSO's Stephen Williamson, this happened almost immediately with the help of his family. "My family is very musical. We’re really lucky. There’s five of us, and each is a musician," Williamson shares of his brass-playing wife and three sons, one who attends Julliard for French Horn Performance. When Williamson called up his family to inform them that the Rhapsody in Blue concert was canceled, his son went online and found a Brass Quintet arrangement of the Gershwin masterpiece for them to record as a family. The video went viral on Facebook, instilling in Williamson a sense of hope that he would in fact be able to find fulfillment during the quarantine. 

For book-loving Wesley Sumpter of LA Phil, there is no such thing as boredom—especially when the books you choose teach adaptability. "Right now I’m reading Thinking Fast And Slow by Daniel Kahneman. It’s about how we think in two systems… System 1 being our innate response to anything, and System 2 being our more deliberate, slow process." Sumpter goes on to explain how your System 2 ultimately informs your System 1. "It’s a wonderful book. It’s allowed me to really think about how to use this time to practice, and what I’m practicing for. How to map out goals based off of being able to have this time to use my System 2 and… slowly do things."

During her extended visit to Kansas City, CSO's Stephanie Jeong and her boyfriend ended up getting a new dog named Jasper. LA Phil's Rebecca Reale began participating in neighborhood chamber concerts in Pasadena, and CSO’s Robert Kassinger poured his energy into teaching and watched as his DePaul University students thrived. As for NY Phil’s Anthony McGill, he sparked a movement on Instagram three weeks ago that swept through the classical community in an unforgettable way.

GRAMMYs

NY Phil Clarinetist Anthony McGill
Photo by Chris Lee

As the U.S. copes with national protests in response to the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, McGill found himself in a unique position. As the first African American to serve as a principal instrumentalist in the New York Philharmonic—and the third African American ever to join the ensemble—McGill saw it as his responsibility to encourage the classical community to participate in the protests in their own unique ways. "It’s almost like a protest challenge for musicians, and artists, and anyone else who wants to participate, and it’s called #taketwoknees," McGill explains. The decision to take two knees was inspired by the fact that taking one knee didn’t go over so well, as society seemed to miss the point of what a peaceful protest means. "As a musician whose voice has been silenced the past few months, I wanted to do my part to continue to talk about this problem."

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CAuzh28ghKX

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A post shared by Anthony Mcgill (@mcgillclarinet)

The problem McGill speaks of is not only police brutality and racial injustice, but also the stigma surrounding peaceful protests. In order to articulate this, McGill wrote a statement about the different ways people protest and why. Then, he got on two knees as he played "America The Beautiful," going into a minor key and eliminating the final note, sending the message that America is beautiful but broken and in need of mending. "It’s important as musicians, [and] as people, that you engage in peaceful protests however you feel you can without reservations," he tells us. For McGill, that happens to be with his clarinet. "This is my only voice in the world that I can touch people with," he shares.

If you wish to donate to these non-profit orchestras as they combat the new challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, the New York Philharmonic, LA Philharmonic, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra, have provided these links to their donation pages for your consideration.

Marching Six Feet Apart: How High School Marching Bands Are Coping With The Pandemic

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Common performs at the "Let's Go Crazy: The GRAMMY Salute To Prince" in 2020

Common performs at the "Let's Go Crazy: The GRAMMY Salute To Prince" in 2020

Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

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YouTube's $100M Fund To Support Black Creators youtube-announces-100-million-fund-supporting-black-creators-confirms-online-fundraiser

YouTube Announces $100 Million Fund Supporting Black Creators, Confirms Online Fundraiser Hosted By Common And Keke Palmer

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On June 13, the video-sharing platform will premiere a livestream fundraising event, which will include performances from John Legend and Trey Songz as well as discussions with creators, artists, public figures and activists
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
Jun 12, 2020 - 3:31 pm

YouTube has announced a $100 million multiyear fund aimed at supporting Black creators and artists on the platform.

In a post shared on the company's official blog, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki outlined the video-sharing platform's larger initiative to support creators and users from the Black community. The announcement is part of the company's midyear update, which also discusses YouTube's COVID-19 and educational initiatives, among other things. 

This Saturday (June 13), starting at 6 p.m. EST, YouTube will premiere the "Bear Witness, Take Action" livestream fundraising event, which Wojcicki describes as "one example of the type of content we'd like to elevate on the platform" via the newly announced initiative.

Produced by YouTube Originals, the online event will "bring together creators, artists, influential public figures and prominent activist voices for roundtable discussions and musical performances," according to the blog post. 

Hosted by three-time GRAMMY winner Common and actress/singer-songwriter Keke Palmer, the digital fundraiser will also include performances from John Legend and Trey Songz, according to Variety. The event will benefit Equal Justice Initiative, which works toward "ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society," according to the organization's website. 

https://twitter.com/YouTube/status/1271206783831293952

The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and many others have forced us to bear witness to systemic racism in America. As we take action against injustice, we also need to stop and listen. #BearWitnessTakeAction June 13th → https://t.co/8Y7CtQhGdF pic.twitter.com/ZMqRMASEm0

— YouTube (@YouTube) June 11, 2020

Panelists and guests for "Bear Witness, Take Action" include Ambers Closet, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Patrisse Cullors, Tremayne Anchrum, Carmelo Anthony, AyChristeneGames, Danielle Bainbridge, Essang Bassey, Shalom Blac, Asante Blackk, Sterling K. Brown, Wilmer Valderrama and several others. 

"At YouTube, we believe Black lives matter and we all need to do more to dismantle systemic racism," Wojcicki wrote in the blog post. "We join in protest against the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many others before them."

"Our platform has been a place where people come together since YouTube first launched 15 years ago," she continued. "And in the midst of uncertainty, creators continue to share stories that might not otherwise be heard while also building online communities."

Read: Halsey Launches Fund To Help Amplify And Provide Platform For Black Creators

For the month of June, the company will also highlight racial justice issues, "including the latest perspectives from the Black community on YouTube alongside historical content, educational videos, and protest coverage," per the blog post, across its Spotlight channel.

"Building on our work over the past several years, we're taking this moment to examine how our policies and products are working for everyone — but specifically for the Black community — and close any gaps," Wojcicki writes. "And more broadly, we will work to ensure Black users, artists, and creators can share their stories and be protected from hateful, white supremacist, and bullying content … There is much work to do to advance racial equity in the long-term, and these efforts will continue in the months and years ahead."

YouTube's initiatives come as several nationwide protests against police brutality and racial injustice, specifically against Black people and people of color, have continued for more than two weeks in response to the recent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other black U.S. citizens by police.

Head to the YouTube blog to read the company's midyear update in full.

Want To Support Protesters And Black Lives Matter Groups? Here's How

Halsey attends An Evening With Halsey at the GRAMMY Museum

Halsey attends An Evening With Halsey at the GRAMMY Museum

Photo: Rebecca Sapp/WireImage for The Recording Academy

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Halsey Launches Fund To Amplify Black Creators halsey-launches-fund-help-amplify-and-provide-platform-black-creators

Halsey Launches Fund To Help Amplify And Provide Platform For Black Creators

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The newly announced Black Creators Funding Initiative welcomes Black creatives of all practices
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
Jun 12, 2020 - 11:16 am

Halsey has launched the Black Creators Funding Initiative (BCFI), a special initiative that aims "to give funds, resources, and a platform to black creators," the singer wrote in an Instagram post announcing the campaign. 

The ongoing initiative, launched Thursday (June 11), will help Black creators of all practices and creative areas by amplifying their art and providing a platform for their voices and perspectives to be heard. Halsey and her team will fund the initiative entirely. 

"If you're an artist, poet, graphic designer, writer, film maker (sic), music producer, journalist, make up (sic) artist, or creator of any kind, we want to see your work and want to help achieve your goals," the artwork accompanying the BCFI announcement reads. In her Instagram post unveiling the fund, Halsey encouraged her followers to tag their favorite Black creators and use the #BLACKCREATORSFUND hashtag, writing, "Looking for black creators who want to enrich the world with their work."

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBT6swcpVmv

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A post shared by halsey (@iamhalsey)

According to her post, Halsey will promote the artists on her socials "to help launch their platforms" and will "provide resources, information, and points of contact, for as many people as we can."

BCFI will announce the first gifting recipients June 18. 

The biracial pop superstar—her mother is Italian and Hungarian and her father is Black with Irish ancestry—recently joined several protests against police brutality and racial injustice in the wake of the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. 

Earlier this month (June 1), Halsey posted photos and videos from protests in Los Angeles where the GRAMMY-nominated singer was seen helping protestors who were hurt while attending the demonstrations. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CA6VPYHpLdS

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by halsey (@iamhalsey)

"It's easy from the comfort of your home to watch looting and rioting on television and condone the violent measures being taken by forces," she wrote on Instagram. "But what you don't see is innocent peaceful protestors being shot at and tear gassed and physically assaulted relentlessly. You think it's not happening, it's only the 'thugs' and the 'riots', right? The police are keeping you safe right? You're wrong. This is happening everywhere. And innocent people exercising their rights to speech and assembly are facing violence and abuse of power."

Read: Houston Rappers Talk George Floyd's Musical & Community Legacy

On May 27, two days after Floyd's death, Halsey shared an impassioned Instagram post about the slain man in which she encouraged her followers to speak about his killing and the officers involved.

"If you have friends and family who are privileged enough to 'stay away from this kind of news,'" she wrote, "then take that f**king privilege away. Uplift the voices of black members of your community voicing their fear or outrage or grief." 

Want To Support Protesters And Black Lives Matter Groups? Here's How

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Some of the content on this site expresses viewpoints and opinions that are not those of the Recording Academy. Responsibility for the accuracy of information provided in stories not written by or specifically prepared for the Academy lies with the story's original source or writer. Content on this site does not reflect an endorsement or recommendation of any artist or music by the Recording Academy.