Your generation wants change too fast.
The amount of times I have been told this regarding classical music programming is staggering.
Western classical music dates back over a thousand years. It has roots in both Ancient Grecian musical traditions, and its notational system developed within the Catholic Church. As with all things, women have been part of the story from the start despite exclusion from written history. If you read my previous post on gender identity and composition, you will remember the importance of Hildegard von Bingen as an early representation of women in music. I won't go into the extensive history of women within classical music, but I'll share a non-exhaustive list of names and dates to exemplify how long we have been a part of this institution. I highly recommend reading into each of these women.
Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179)
Marie de France (1175-1225)
Maddalena Casaluna (1540-1590)
Francesca Caccini (1587-1645)
Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677)
Lady Mary Dering (1629-1704)
Wilhelmine of Bayreuth (1709-1758)
Maria Anna Mozart (1751-1829)
Elise Schlick (1790-1855)
Clara van Wieck (1819-1896)
Fanny Mendelssohn (1805-1847)
Lili Boulanger (1893-1918)
Amy Beach (1867-1944)
Florence Price (1887-1953)
Shirley Graham Du Bois (1896-1977)
Margaret Bonds (1913-1972)
Julia Perry (1924-1979)
Sofia Gubaidulina (b. 1931)
Even reading through this parsed-down list of women composers undermines the excuse that change can't happen overnight. In fact, asking for representation after nearly a thousand years of exclusion feels like a pretty small request to me. It is true that many orchestras are starting to program a more diverse array of composers, but most concerts still contain primarily dead white men composers.
I was intrigued by the DEI initiatives that many orchestras have taken on over the last few years, so I did some research to see whether programming is getting any more diverse. I have been posting the results on my Instagram account @emmaberkowitzmusic. As I've mentioned in each post, this study was purely to satiate my own curiosity. I do not pretend to be a data scientist, and I recognize that there are likely more accurate ways of going about this. However, I do believe that my findings show that concert programming across the board is not that diverse.
While it is true that many orchestras have special concerts and events geared toward inclusion and equity, regular-season programs are still primarily comprised of dead white men. So far, I have found that across the nation at least 75% of all regular-season programming is historical white men. I understand the importance of programming lesser-known works along with famous pieces from the canon, but this industry can and should do better.
Special events that highlight marginalized voices are great for drawing attention to lesser-performed composers, but programming diverse composers at every concert is the best way to truly demonstrate inclusion. I am not arguing to stop programming Beethoven and friends, but it's just not interesting to hear the same symphonies over and over again. Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Debussy, and Bach were all once contemporary composers, so why would an institution that once prided itself on supporting contemporary artistry balk at programming composers who reflect current trends? And if programming Debussy, why not consider pairing a woman contemporary like Lili Boulanger alongside him? Do we really need to hear Eroica every season?
It would be incredible if orchestras began consistently programming diverse main-stage performances, but the work of diversifying repertoire starts on much smaller stages. It starts in high school band rooms, it starts in elementary music classrooms, and it starts on the recital stage.
If you are a music director, educator, or soloist, I urge you to be intentional about your future programming because the road to a diverse and lustrous classical music industry is something we must all pave together.
Comments