“More conservatories and orchestras are getting serious about becoming as diverse as the cities they serve,” states Amanda Rabinowitz on Thursday (12/12) at radio station WKSU (Kent, Ohio). “The Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) more than doubled its African American and Latinx population in three years to 15%…. When Paul Hogle came on as president and CEO…. [he started a program] with the Sphinx Organization, a Detroit nonprofit that offers scholarships, performance opportunities and other initiatives [for musicians of color]. Sphinx President Afa Dworkin says CIM is one of three schools where they’ve established … full-scholarship summer programs for middle and high school string musicians.… These types of programs can’t be the only way to address diversity, says Jesse Rosen, the president and CEO of the League of American Orchestras…. ‘There has to be some deep and hard conversation about diversity and equity and inclusion and what those terms mean.’ That’s where the students themselves come in. CIM freshman Philip Williams says he’s often the only African American in his classes and performances. So, he decided this year to form a Black Student Union … for any student who wants to have an open discussion about the future of classical music.”
Posted December 13, 2019
