Conductor Anthony Parnther on the Importance of Representation and Inclusion

In Monday’s (3/31) Spectrum News 1 (Columbus, Ohio), Rose Todd reports, “Marvel’s Black Panther is continuing to inspire audiences years after its theatrical release. In Cleveland, guest conductor Anthony Parnther led the Cleveland Orchestra in performing Black Panther Live, the musical score of the 2018 movie. He is part of the less than 4% of Black conductors in the industry…. As he worked on the original score for the movie, he felt a special connection … ‘It was great to see people who looked like me personified in ways that I was not accustomed to seeing, to see Afro Futuristic, to see superheroes that look like me,’ said Parnther. According to the League of American Orchestras, Black conductors make up about 4% of conductors—a number Parnther says comes from a lot of different factors and many he can relate to. ‘My mom had to make the decision to pay the electric bill on time or make the payment on my instrument …’ said Parnther. Other factors Parnther said contribute to the low number of Black conductors include access to quality instruments, resources to take private lessons, and opportunity to get into a good music school…. With his current position as the music director for the San Bernardino Symphony, he is using his platform to encourage more Black classical musicians and to diversify his own orchestra.”