Dear American Orchestras, Part II
A Call for Equity and Inclusion in Orchestras
On January 29, supporters of the Black Orchestral Network are encouraged to post on their social media platforms, driving the urgent message of inclusion and equity within American orchestras.
Artists, audience members, educators, music lovers, culture bearers, and enthusiasts are invited to co-sign the "Dear American Orchestras, Part II” open letter by adding their names to the list of Black orchestral musicians and supporters calling on American orchestras for change. Co-sign the letter here.
Scroll below to contribute to BON's mission, explore donation opportunities, and Raise your voice.
#POST
#SIGN
#DONATE
#DEAR AMERICAN ORCHESTRAS
#POST #SIGN #DONATE #DEAR AMERICAN ORCHESTRAS
Supporters are asked to amplify the campaign by posting a single graphic—provided by BON— to their Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter timelines.
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Share your voice in solidarity – Post your support using our Social media Toolkit
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Raise your voice for change – Sign our open letter to American orchestras.
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Day of Solidarity:
Monday January 29, 2024
The Black Orchestral Network (BON) champions equity and inclusion for Black orchestral musicians.
We are demanding change within the classical music industry, starting with our Day of Solidarity. On Monday, January 22nd, BON calls for a Day of Solidarity - an opportunity open to allies, champions, and supporters within the music industry and beyond.
Engage with us through social media, share our motion graphic, and amplify our message.
A poignant open letter that outlines ten actionable steps for reform in the orchestral tenure process. Read the full Dear American Orchestras Part II letter.
"Dear American Orchestras, Part II"
Dear American Orchestras,
In May 2022, the Black Orchestral Network (BON) issued a letter calling on American orchestras and the anchors of the American orchestral community to reckon with both the history of bias, exclusion, and indignity, as well as the current realities and barriers, faced by Black orchestral musicians in sharing their extensive talents and skills. Thousands joined our call to action for American orchestras to honor and center your moral and artistic commitments: to build and sustain spaces where Black musicians’ unique artistic contributions belong and thrive; to hire Black musicians and support their development; and to fully embed and be accountable for practices that promote respect, fairness, grace, and equity.
Despite your stated desire for greater inclusion and dignity, barriers and biases persist and, in 2023, are manifest in explicit and tangible ways, including in the unfair denial of tenure to multiple Black musicians. Unfortunately, concerns about respect and fairness in the tenure process for Black musicians are both present and longstanding, extending back at least as far as Elayne Jones’s well-documented struggles in 1972.
And so, we take up the pen once again to spotlight the many failings of the tenure process…
Click the button below to read the full Dear American Orchestras, II Open letter and sign in solidarity.
THe Black Orchestral Network is generously supported by the Mellon Foundation and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
