How to make classical music more inclusive: two composers weigh in

Since 1976, February has been federally designated as Black History Month, a time to honor "the essential contributions of African Americans to the history of the United States, in every field from science and the arts to politics and religion." 

With the death in May of George Floyd, which many attributed to institutionalized racism, and the nationwide protests that followed, observances of Black History Month this year provide additional opportunities to reflect on the ideals of diversity and inclusion. Those goals remain elusive in many institutions, including the arts. In a widely discussed essay published last fall in the New Yorker, critic Alex Ross wrote: “Such an examination is sorely needed in classical music. … This world is blindingly white, both in its history and its present.” 

Representation of African American and Latino musicians in American orchestras stood at just 2.5 percent, based on a 2014 industry study. At the same time, the Institute for Composer Diversity reports that works by composers from underrepresented racial, ethnic and cultural groups made up only 6 percent of the 2019-20 programming by 120 U.S. orchestras. 

As the country marks Black History Month, acclaimed composers Jessie Montgomery and Renée Baker, whose work has been performed as part of concert programs presented by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association in recent years, shared their perspectives on opportunities for classical music to become more inclusive. 

A fast-rising voice on the new music scene, Montgomery sees the recent push in the classical world for more inclusion and equity as an “important turning point.” “There’s a movement happening,” said Montgomery, 39, who's based in New York. “There’s awareness, and I think awareness is the first step toward change.” 

She believes many people in the field are “wholeheartedly committed” to following through on the acknowledgments and commitments that have been made in terms of righting past inequalities. 

Baker, 63, a longtime presence in Chicago music circles, isn’t as convinced. “I’ve experienced prejudice and racism every day that I’ve been involved in classical music,” she said. “This is what the classical music castle is built on: exclusion.” 

But Baker has never let discrimination hold her back. Early on in her life, she realized she could shake her fist and remain bitter about the inequities in the classical realm, or she could secure the right training and be ready for whatever opportunities that came her way. 

“I decided to use my talents to just enjoy and love the music that I embraced as a child, and that was classical music,” she said. “To me, the benefits and the achievements and the things I’ve been allowed to do and the audiences I’ve been allowed to influence far outweigh what we know is the DNA of this country.” 

Indeed, Baker has enjoyed a successful, multifaceted career. The founding music director of the Chicago Modern Orchestra Project, she served as principal violist of the Chicago Sinfonietta for 26 years. Over time, she has written more than 2,000 works, including several hundred scores for silent films, and has been a guiding force in the CSO’s African American Network’s annual celebration of Black History Month. 

For the most recent event in February 2020, Baker and CMOP joined Tsukasa Taiko and members of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians in a world-premiere performance of her score for the silent film “Siren of the Tropics” (1927), featuring iconic star Josephine Baker (no relation). 

Baker applauds organizations like the CSOA that have made sustained commitments to composers of color, but she is suspicious about the burst of recent inquiries from other groups since the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. “Some of it may be genuinely interested people,” she said, “but there is grant money, there are all sorts of initiatives that say, ‘Do you want to get on this [diversity] bandwagon? Find these people.’ ” If such “reach-outs,” as she calls them, are still occurring in five or 10 years, then she will be persuaded of their genuineness. 

Montgomery’s compositions were first performed under CSO auspices in May 2019 as part of its contemporary classical series MusicNOW, which features CSO members and guest artists in new commissions and other recent works. The CSO’s commitment to her music continues this season. Members of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the CSO's training ensemble, perform her Starburst as part of a program streamed beginning Jan. 21 on the CSOtv video portal. Then CSO musicians will perform her Strum for String Quartet on a CSO Sessions concert premiering March 11. 

A new performance of Montgomery’s Starburst by members of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the CSO’s pre-professional training ensemble, is part of the Civic’s free, on-demand Episode 1: Montgomery, Akiho, Sorey & Adams, which premiered Jan. 21 on CSOtv. Then CSO musicians will perform her Strum for String Quartet on a CSO Sessions episode scheduled for March 11. 

As positive as Montgomery is about what is happening, she has nonetheless witnessed what she calls “awkward” attempts at diversity. Examples include putting more money into February concerts or assembling a panel of Black musicians but not doing anything else. “It still reads,” she said, “like putting Black musicians out in front to sort of be the spokespersons for those organizations, rather than doing the internal work themselves to rebuild their staffs, maybe alter their missions or educate their staffs about how their diversity initiatives are going to work — doing the real consulting and bias-training work.” 

As an example, Montgomery points to the Sphinx Organization, a Detroit-based group that promotes people of color in classical music. “They have been an incredible resource and an incredible anchor for this kind of work,” said Montgomery, who’s a Sphinx alumna. She also praises the National Alliance for Audition Support, through which Sphinx is collaborating with Miami’s New World Symphony and the League of American Orchestras. The program, founded in 2018, aims to increase the number of Black and Latino musicians auditioning for orchestral openings by providing mentorship, financial support and audition preparation. 

In addition, programs like the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative, which launched in 2018 with support from local music partners, including the Negaunee Music Institute at the CSO, supports young musicians from underrepresented backgrounds in pursuit of professional careers in classical music. While programs like CMPI and its sister programs in Philadelphia, Boston, Nashville and Atlanta are only part of the answer, they represent a growing trend focused on preparing more musicians of color to be part of the orchestras of the future. 

Montgomery believes the hundreds of talented young musicians who take part in Sphinx and CMPI programs serve as visible, tangible answers to the tired questions: “Where is the talent? Where are the people of color?" “It’s an insult to have to prove that they are good,” she said. “These are some of the best musicians in the country.” 

As important as Black History Month is in highlighting past achievements and spotlighting issues of equality, both Baker and Montgomery agree that real change requires a commitment that lasts all year long. “People of African descent have been in this classical music genre for hundreds and hundreds of years,” Baker said. “We have that history, that legacy, and today there exists some of the most prodigious, prolific, talented, gifted artists in our midst."