
Friday’s (5/9) Violin Channel reports, “Undersigned by over 600 industry professionals, including orchestral musicians, music educators, soloists, conductors, and administrators, an open letter and petition titled ‘Musicians for Democracy’ is criticizing the changes being made by President Trump and his administration. Among the undersigned are Jonathan Biss, Joyce DiDonato, Midori, Alisa Weilerstein, Noah Bendix-Balgley, Gabriela Diaz, Eugene Drucker, Miriam Fried, Clara Kim, Kurt Sassmannshaus, Jonathan Swensen, and countless others,” including musicians with several American orchestras. As of Monday morning, May 12, the petition has 948 verified signatures. The letter reads in part: “We, the undersigned, are American classical musicians. Our passion and mission are making music and, in doing so, offering listeners the possibility of deepening their experience and understanding of the world. We are not politicians: We are working citizens who are drawn to music because of its capacity to bridge different viewpoints and cultures, and to connect us through our shared humanity. We are speaking out now because we are alarmed by the many actions targeting free speech that are being forced on our country, our colleagues and our institutions by President Trump and his administration…. The freedom to explore and share [different] perspectives, explicitly guaranteed by our constitution, is in grave danger.”