The Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles prepares for a rehearsal in “The Orchestra That Chuck Built.”
On Friday (12/6), The New Yorker posted filmmaker Christopher Stoudt’s 2023 documentary “The Orchestra Chuck Built,” about Chuck Dickerson, founder and director of the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, and his goal to diversify American orchestras. “Chuck Dickerson, the founder and director of the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, is on a mission. ‘American orchestras are not a very diverse place,’ he says. ‘African American musicians make up only 2.4 per cent of the American orchestra workforce. We are seeking to improve that.’ In ‘The Orchestra Chuck Built,’ directed by Christopher Stoudt, we see Dickerson and his players, the members of the country’s largest Black orchestra, preparing for their season-finale concert. The students describe the feelings of accomplishment and community that come from honing their craft together. The intimate, sonically rich documentary shows the students practicing individually, joking about which instrument is best, and describing what music means to them. We see them working closely with Dickerson … When they get it right, you can hear it and see it on the director’s face; he breaks into a wide grin.” Dickerson is a member of the League of American Orchestras’ Board of Directors.
