Anti-Black Discrimination in American Orchestras A broad historical look at American orchestras puts into context the field’s persistent lack of ethnic and racial diversity and examines the underlying culture of privilege, exclusion, and unacknowledged bias that contributes to it. Greater awareness of our shared history will contribute to fieldwide change in behavior—and ultimately improve equity. by Aaron Flagg As part of its planning for equity, diver- Thy magic power re-unites sity, and inclusion (EDI) work in 2018, All that custom has divided, the League of American Orchestras en- All men become brothers, gaged in extensive listening and learning Under the sway of thy gentle wings. from orchestra staff, boards, and musicians —from Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller’s “Ode to Joy,” about the state of EDI efforts in their or- later used by Ludwig van Beethoven in his Symphony No. 9 chestras as well as their expectations of the League. One of the frequent and emphatic hen we speak of the world of Despite a broad and functionally di- messages to the League was to “acknowledge symphony orchestras in Ameri- verse group with many sincere individuals the painful history of discrimination within ca, we say “the field.” “The field” and well-intended initiatives, the field has the orchestra field.” That view was echoed Whas included many different stakeholders never effectively engaged a fair representa- by Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive over the decades. Of course, we mean the tion of the racial and ethnic talent in the director of the Equal Justice Initiative, who orchestral music itself; the musicians who country within all the onstage and offstage said in his June 16 video How We Arrived compose, organize, play, and conduct the roles noted above. One might ask: In 2020, Here: “We need an era of truth and justice music; the staff who arrange and publicize are the musician, staff, and board roles in America. We need to commit ourselves concerts to share the music; the audiences equally accessible to everyone interested in to being honest about our pasts. Truth and who listen to the music; and the volunteer this music? Sadly, the simple answer is no. justice [are] sequential. You have to tell the community members who set policy, hire The reasons why include an ignored and truth before you get to the restoration, before lead staff, govern, and raise the non-earned uncelebrated history of minority artistry in you get to the reconciliation.” These beliefs income needed to fuel the organizations classical music (by composers, conductors, gave rise to the article that follows, one ef- that house the above. There are other performers, and managers); ignorance of fort in the League’s ongoing work of coming stakeholders such as guest artists, musi- the history of discrimination and racism to grips with the past and working toward cians’ unions, service organizations like against classical musicians of African- a more inclusive and equitable future. the League of American Orchestras, pub- American and Latinx heritage by the field; —Jesse Rosen, President and CEO, lic and private foundations, governmental and a culture in the field that is indiffer- League of American Orchestras agencies, vendors, and more, all of whom ent to the inequity, racial bias, and micro- support and impact the work of “the field.” aggressions within it. 30 symphony SUMMER 2020 What the above question, and those like it, ignores are the discriminatory prac- tices embedded in the critical systems that people need to access the field. These prac- tices, by which I mean exclusion, harass- ment, micro-aggressions, and an absence of cross-cultural sensitivity, discourage engagement and disrupt many aspects of one’s journey into the field. They impede formal educational pathways, regular in- teraction with the art and its artists, net- working opportunities, informal mentor- ship, and access to industry information and performance opportunities that build confidence in and increase commitment from people of color to classical music. In 2020, are the musician, staff, and board roles at orchestras equally accessible to everyone interested in this music? The simple answer is no. These practices make the field inequitable. The only question is, how committed are we—individually and collectively—to changing the status quo? Since the victims of these practices did not create and do not control these systems, it is the field’s responsibility to remain aware of the his- tory that built them, fix the inequitable The League of American Orchestras’ 2016 Racial/Ethnic and Gender Diversity in the Orchestra practices, and then mitigate the damage Field study, with research and data analysis by Dr. James Doeser, documents gender and ethnic/ caused by them. racial diversity in U.S. orchestras among musicians, conductors, staff, executives, and board members. Read the complete report at https://americanorchestras.org/knowledge-research- Here is an analogy: If I said that anyone innovation/diversity-studies.html. in town can come to my home to eat din- ner this weekend, but assumed there was no need to include my address, shared this day impact: a legacy embedded in the rou- American/Black, Latino, and Asian peo- invitation only with people I already knew tine processes of life that we may not even ple was 30.4%. However, in 2014, per the and liked, spent no time learning how to see. Therefore, the roles within our music League of American Orchestras’ Racial/ make all guests feel welcome, and neglect- profession are not accessible to all. Ethnic and Gender Diversity in the Orches- ed to consider that for decades my ances- In my analogy, it would be surprising tra Field study, 14.2% of orchestra musi- tors had literally and figuratively burned and illogical for me to assume that the rea- cians identified as non-white—and this most of the bridges from certain parts of son I lack diverse dinner attendees is be- figure includes African American/Black town to my home, you would advise me cause people were simply not hungry. This (1.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (9.1%), to not be surprised by a lack of diverse at- is the same type of irrational conclusion Hispanic/Latino (2.5%), and others. To tendees. The systems in place to enact my many in American classical music make break down other orchestra roles, 10% of invitation are not sufficient or equitable about the lack of diversity in the field. conductors and music directors identified despite the possible sincerity of my offer. as non-white; 14% of orchestra staff iden- In the case of orchestras, there is a docu- What Statistics Reveal tified as non-white; and 6% of governing mented history of conscious exclusion, ha- Per 2018 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, boards identified as non-white. By com- rassment, and discrimination that includes 13.4% of Americans identified as African parison, a national survey by the nonprofit segregated unions; hostile groups of musi- American/Black, and 18.3% of Ameri- organization BoardSource found that cians, staff, and board leaders; and bifur- cans identified as Hispanic or Latino. This non-white people on all types of nonprofit cated access to gatekeepers and mentors. adds up to a total of 31.7% of the country. boards totaled 21% in 2017. The League’s This history, like all history, has a present- In 1980, the total percentage of African study on diversity, issued in 2016, covered americanorchestras.org 31 As documented in the League’s Racial/Ethnic and Gender Diversity in the Orchestra Field report, board membership at orchestras remained predominantly white during the period studied. the years 1978 to 2014. It is important to an increase (from 5.3% to 9.1%) in the ers of color for decades, just as orchestras note that over this span of time the musi- presence of individuals with Asian/Pacific did. Both industries would claim they cian portion of the field became propor- Islander backgrounds (race and ethnicity welcomed all who would audition or try tionally more representative of the gen- data on musicians began to be tracked by out—but ensured behind the scenes that eral population in terms of gender (from the League in 1980). no players of color were ever engaged. 38.2% women musicians in 1978 to 47.4% For comparison in another field, Ma- Kenesaw Mountain Landis, the first women musicians in 2014) and has seen jor League Baseball refused to hire play- Commissioner of Baseball from 1920 until his death in 1944, famously enforced this Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at the League status quo. Jackie Robinson’s entrance into In addition to its longstanding commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in the Minor Leagues on October 23, 1945 the orchestra field, in 2018 the League of American Orchestras launched two major and the Major Leagues on April 11, 1947, initiatives to increase EDI: The Catalyst Fund and the National Alliance for Audition were only possible after Landis’s demise. Support. Similarly, in his 2001 memoir Fiddle and Fight, former St. Louis Symphony Or- The Catalyst Fund provides annual grants to help League-member orchestras chestra bassist Russell V. Brodine notes an increase their understanding of equity, diversity, and inclusion and to practice more apparent ban in his orchestra on hiring any effective EDI strategies. The Catalyst Fund awards one-year grants, ranging from African-American artists during the same $10,000 to $25,000 each, to multiple U.S. orchestras; participating orchestras are period until after the death of “the most required to use the funds to support the costs of retaining a skilled EDI practitioner to obstinate bigot on the Symphony Board.” advance EDI learning objectives.