“Anti-Black Discrimination in American Orchestras,” an article published by Symphony magazine and written by Aaron Flagg, has won the ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Award for an article in the concert music field. Published in Symphony’s Summer 2020 Issue, the article is a sweeping examination of the orchestra field’s historic and ongoing lack of ethnic and racial diversity, particularly as pertains to Black artists, board members, and administrators, and proposes steps to improve equity and inclusion. Read “Anti-Black Discrimination in American Orchestras” at https://americanorchestras.org/anti-black-discrimination-in-american-orchestras/. Symphony is the magazine of the League of American Orchestras. Aaron Flagg is the chair and associate director of Jazz Studies at the Juilliard School, a member of the League’s Board of Directors (where he is secretary), and chair of the League’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee.
ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson awards for articles in the music criticism and pop music categories went to the New York Times and City Journal, and awards were also announced for the liner notes, television broadcast, and podcast categories. Read the complete awards announcement at https://www.ascap.com/press/2021/10/10-14-52nd-annual-taylor-thomson-awards.
