{"id":111823,"date":"2025-02-14T09:16:57","date_gmt":"2025-02-14T14:16:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=111823"},"modified":"2025-02-14T09:16:57","modified_gmt":"2025-02-14T14:16:57","slug":"open-letter-open-letter-ensemble-obiora-rewriting-score-inclusive-music-scene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2025\/02\/14\/open-letter-open-letter-ensemble-obiora-rewriting-score-inclusive-music-scene\/","title":{"rendered":"OPEN LETTER | An Open Letter By Ensemble Obiora \u2014 Rewriting The Score: For A More Inclusive Music Scene"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Violinist
Violinist Randall Goosby (Photo: Jeremy Mitchell)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As representatives and friends of Ensemble Obiora<\/a>, we feel it necessary to respond to Christophe Huss’s recent review, entitled \u201cFantasia et le d\u00e9clin de l’empire symphonique\u201d (\u201cFantasia and the decline of the symphonic empire\u201d), published in Le Devoir on January 23.<\/p>\n

The renown of this critic, a connoisseur of the local and international classical music scene, does not justify comments that minimize the legitimacy of African-American violinist Randall Goosby, by suggesting that he was invited by the Orchestre symphonique de Montr\u00e9al (OSM) to meet the dictates of a DEI policy \u2014 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion – and to satisfy financial backers.<\/p>\n

Contrary to what he claims, the young prodigy did not \u201cpop up\u201d suddenly, in October 2020, at the age of 24, \u201cas the new Decca violinist.\u201d His talent had already been recognized by eminent critics from The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times. By claiming that Goosby had \u201ctotally slipped under the radar previously\u201d and that in the ranks of the OSM itself could be found \u201ca good half-dozen violinists who play Bruch [whose violin concerto was performed by Goosby] as well and with more aura and charm,\u201d Mr. Huss seems to be implying that he has no place on a prestigious stage.<\/p>\n

Finally, he suggests that DEI programming will reduce artistic quality, which will in turn lead to fewer ticket sales, which will in turn lead to the need to cut, such as those recently announced by the Orchestre M\u00e9tropolitain.<\/p>\n

The idea that Goosby is invited to perform for reasons other than his talent is offensive. Such a preconception reflects the very biases that have historically excluded certain artists from the field, and is the kind of thinking that partly explains the erasure of Black figures from the history of classical music to this day, as documented by composer Gabriel Dharmoo in his study \u201cReflections of Coloniality in the New Music Scene,\u201d published in 2019, in Intersections: Canadian Journal of Music.<\/p>\n

The inference that Goosby has received preferential treatment because of his ethno-cultural background, or other iniquitous selection criteria, helps perpetuate the misconception that artists belonging to under-represented groups have not earned their place, and forces them to constantly justify their presence. It’s a clear message to them, insidiously reinforcing that classical music remains a closed, elitist universe, when it should, instead, reflect the inclusive, fair values of Canadian society and its future generations.<\/p>\n

Diversity, equity and inclusion are neither a passing fad nor a compromise on musical quality. Excellence remains the primary criterion for selection, and without it, no soloist or orchestral musician gets a free pass, whatever his or her background, even in the presence of the under-representation of artists from diverse backgrounds in the classical music world and the systemic obstacles faced by some.<\/p>\n

Since its founding at the end of 2021, Montreal-based Ensemble Obiora, the first Canadian classical music ensemble composed primarily of professional musicians from culturally diverse backgrounds, has been proud to spotlight the many talents on the classical music scene, and to program works by composers of different origins whose music is little-known or little-regarded.<\/p>\n

During Black History Month, it seems particularly important for Ensemble Obiora and its allies \u2014 like the Orchestre symphonique de Montr\u00e9al, which has just introduced the El Sistema educational program in the metropolis, under the impetus of maestro Payare \u2014 to demonstrate that multicultural representation is beneficial for both the arts community and for the public, as audiences diversity.<\/p>\n

Whether liked or not, this prodigy’s visit to the Maison symphonique was a privilege for music lovers, who are not only spectators, but also defenders and bearers of values. Finally, to paraphrase the theme of the EDI* Forum, organized by the R\u00e9seau qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois pour l’\u00e9quit\u00e9, la diversit\u00e9 et l’inclusion (RQEDI) on February 6 and 7, at HEC Montr\u00e9al, we need to know how to \u201cnavigate and collaborate in a world on the move\u201d!<\/p>\n

(*) Forum des organisations en EDI: Naviguer et collaborer dans un monde en mouvement (2025 edition), February 6 and 7, 2025 at HEC Montr\u00e9al.<\/em><\/p>\n

Signatories:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Allison Migeon, Co-founder and General Manager of Ensemble Obiora<\/em>
\nBrandyn Lewis, Co-founder and Artistic Director of Ensemble Obiora<\/em>
\nMembers of the Ensemble Obiora Board of Directors<\/em>
\nKatherine Carleton, Executive Director, Orchestras Canada<\/em>
\nBibiana Pulido, Executive Director, Quebec Network for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion<\/em>
\nSuzanne Taffot, soprano and lawyer.<\/em><\/p>\n

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As representatives and friends of Ensemble Obiora, we feel it necessary to respond to Christophe Huss’s recent review, published in Le Devoir on January 23.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":111826,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[41660,9474,9567,39,24163,52],"tags":[41758,41440],"yst_prominent_words":[6715,20942,12700,6616,10415,18411,6667,6668,11893,18410],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/02\/Copy-of-EDITORIAL.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-t5B","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111823"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111823"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111823\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":111827,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111823\/revisions\/111827"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111826"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111823"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=111823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}