- Diversity from an organizational standpoint
very often is a game of numbers and shame.
How many do I have to make,
say, play standby in order to fill my diversity quotient?
And if I don't do these things,
how do I mitigate the self-questioning or the self-shame
that comes out of not doing enough?
I would like to think that diversity,
or equity, inclusion, access,
that these aren't games of number and shame,
these are questions about the future.
And futurity.
And what world is it that we want to make?
What does a culturally equitable future look like?
(soft music)
So rather than think about,
well, we need to answer the diversity question
so that we don't feel shamed, really it's...
We need to create a future
that has an expanded understanding
of what diversity looks like.
That's grounded
in both intellectual capital and emotional capital.
- What would it look like if the NSO was more diverse?
I mean,
I don't know,
it's kinda hard to imagine what the impact would be
in terms of the everyday playing situation,
but certainly, interpersonal it would just...
Going backstage would reflect more
of what going outside looks like.
- One of our struggles
is updating the aesthetics of the form
so that it reflects a presently lived reality
- To make media that is aware of reality,
you know, is heartwarming.
And I mean, even in myself,
again, it's humbling to say this, but just...
I'm noticing slow changes
in the media in this country in the last year.
I'm not saying that the mission is done
by any stretch of the imagination,
but I have noticed some changes.
And I noticed in myself even a few months ago,
that whatever levels of bias
were within me were shifting a little bit.
And I don't think I knew how much was there
until I felt it shift.
And that was a really humbling and kind of
heartbreaking experience to have to be totally honest.
- It's so important,
so important that we give a voice to everyone.
And I think there is a, a stigma, the wrong stigma
for classical music being for a certain person.
And it isn't, it's for everyone.
And I really believe that.
And to be able to highlight African-American composers,
it's incredible.
You could just here from Jessica Mays,
and they need to be heard.
- I know I'm proud to be part of the Cartography Project
because it's amplifying Black voices in our community,
and you know, in classical music in general.
And I think that that's just a wonderful thing
that we can do, and also to take on the issue
of Black dignity and thinking about like,
I'm playing a piece that's written for Tamir Rice,
and also Elijah McClain, and to think about
the fact that their lives were taken way too soon.
- I'm '45 now, I've outlived Malcolm X.
I've outlived Martin Luther king Jr.
But maybe more poignantly, I've outlived Brianna Taylor.
I've outlived Eric Garner.
I've certainly outlived Tamir Rice.
What do we do with these days?
What is our role?
What do we do with these days, with this gift?
I don't take my life for granted,
and because I don't.
And because I come from where I come from,
because of who raised me, because of who raised them,
I don't have a choice,
but to do this work.
It's not theory, it is conceptual.
I don't have time to not be hopeful,
I don't have time to waste.
So, I think part of what we see in
our composers and their compassion for the individuals
who suffered through this extrajudicial violence,
who lost their lives.
Part of what you see is a recognition
that we owe them something.
That our ancestors got us this far,
that our elders got us this far,
that these individuals,
Rayshard Brooks, Brianna Taylor,
Philando Castile, Nia Wilson
Elijah McClain, these individuals are our ancestors.
We owe them something.
And you know
what do we do with these days that pays that debt?
- Within my piece, "Anthem For Go,"
is an expansion on a theme that for me
has embodied the spirit of overcoming obstacles,
listening to that burning desire for something more,
something better.
My piece is a tribute to both our heartbreak and resilience.
Our tears inspiring the conviction to move forward
and our desire to break down those systems that divide us.
It's about our blind determination
to push for something better for ourselves, our communities,
and our shared place on this miraculous planet.
This is an Anthem,
for that brilliant fire that lives in this all.
("Anthem For Go")
(soft music)