Ann Hobson Pilot in a recent WCBV interview, and during her tenure as principal harp of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
In Thursday’s (2/29) WCBV (Boston), Jessica Brown reports, “The legendary Boston Symphony Orchestra is music to our ears, but it is the artists behind the instruments who make it all come to life. Ann Hobson Pilot, an internationally renowned classical harpist who performed for 40 years with the BSO and the Pops, is one of those musicians…. Pilot broke barriers in classical music as the first Black female principal player in any major symphony orchestra. She got her professional start with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. in 1966….. She said it was always an honor to grace the stage, but it wasn’t always easy. ‘I kind of went about the job like: ‘This is what I want to do. I want to play the harp. They’ve hired me to do this.’ So, I kind of ignored the racism and the comments that I heard around me and went forward … For 20-some years, [I was] the only person of color in the BSO…. Progress has been slow but encouraging, and it’s wonderful to see … change in classical music,’ Pilot said. Pilot retired [from] the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 2009 … Pilot received the Gold Baton Award from the League of American Orchestras.”
Watch video clips of Pilot in discussion at the “Classical Musicians of African Descent: Perspectives, Aspirations, and Outlook” session at the League’s 2017 National Conference.
