Musings | MUSE

Shubert Advocacy Series

The Shubert Organization recognizes that in order to make a real difference in our industry, we need to actively listen to the organizations asking for change so that we can in fact change for the better. The Shubert Advocacy Series aims to give a platform to organizations who will provide compelling and engaging conversations, so that their voices, missions and experiences can be heard.

Musicians on How to Bring Racial Equity to Auditions

Conductors, players and administrators don’t necessarily want to abandon blind auditions. But they say the lack of diversity in American orchestras is more complicated than that.

How Black Composers Shaped the Sound of American Classical Music

By Jim Beaugez | Smithsonian Magazine Classical pianist Lara Downes knew she was onto something profound when audiences began to react to her show-closing rendition of “Fantasie Negre,” a 1929 […]

For These Classical Musicians, It’s Always Been About Racial Equity

By Joshua Barone | New York Times Last year was different. Black Lives Matter, in the national psyche for nearly a decade, crested with the killing of George Floyd and […]

Orchestras Are Rushing to Add Black Composers. Will It Last?

By Joshua Barone | New York Times In June, as millions of Americans filled city streets with Black Lives Matter demonstrations and millions more rushed to share their solidarity online, […]

To Make Orchestras More Diverse, End Blind Auditions

If ensembles are to reflect the communities they serve, the audition process should take into account race, gender and other factors.