Helping Sounds
Five orchestra musicians are doing critically important work in their communities—work that is being honored by the League of American Orchestras’ Ford Musician Awards for Excellence in Community Service.
Safety First
Orchestras are adopting new health protocols to keep everyone safe for the return of in-person concerts this fall. The emergence of the Delta variant and shifting COVID-19 infection rates mean that proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test, plus masking and social distancing, are being implemented for audiences, musicians, and staff alike. Actions vary from orchestra to orchestra, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. How is everyone coping?
Aiming for a More Inclusive Canon
In an excerpt from his new book, Dvořák’s Prophecy and the Vexed Fate of Classical Music, Joseph Horowitz examines why classical music in America “stayed white” and failed to become more inclusive.
Anti-Asian Discrimination at American Orchestras
Musicians of Asian descent are visible on orchestra stages across the country, but their numbers do not reflect their voice, power, or influence, and many experience maltreatment or marginalization in their professional lives.
Conference 2021: Embracing a Changed World
The League of American Orchestras’ 2021 National Conference featured new ideas, new voices, new formats, new music, and drew thousands of orchestra professionals—all online.
Forward Thinking: Power in Sharing
Arts organizations have long been dominated by the singular artistic leader at the top whose vision sets the course for the organization. As society changes and expectations for the sharing of power grow, that model is shifting in exciting ways. The Public Theater in New York is embracing a model of shared artistic leadership, with new voices and perspectives at the top—and is finding fresh success. What might orchestras learn? League President and CEO Simon Woods interviews Oskar Eustis, artistic director of the Public Theater.
In Memoriam: Conductor Michael Morgan
Michael Morgan (1957-2021) was committed to music education, community connections, and social justice—and he transformed the orchestras he conducted and the way we think about orchestras’ roles in the world. Members of the classical music community share their memories.
The Score: Fall 2021
In this issue: Orchestras Mark 20th Anniversary of 9/11; Sounds of Summer; New Homes for Orchestras; Women Composers on the Map
Full Issue: Symphony Fall 2021, The New New Normal
Read the whole Fall 2021 issue online via Issuu.
Prelude and Table of Contents: Fall 2021
From the Editor There is nothing like hearing an orchestra live and in person. Okay, that’snot a novel insight, but the return of in-person concerts this fall was a starkreminder of what we have missed—and a revelation. Hearing an orchestrain full throttle after all this time was almost too much. A kind of synesthesia kicked …