“The world premiere of Spark Catchers by the British composer Hannah Kendall launches the late-night Prom on 30 August, when Chineke!, the UK’s first majority BME [Black and Minority Ethnic] orchestra, makes its Proms debut,” writes Fiona Maddocks in Sunday’s (8/20) Guardian (London). “Born in London in 1984, Kendall has featured on Radio 3’s Composer of the Week and won a Women of the Future award for arts and culture. Her music has been performed by many leading ensembles.… Q: You’ve been vocal in addressing the need for two kinds of positive action: ethnic diversity and gender. Women are still only beginning to find their proper prominence as conductors and composers.… Kendall: Yes, and the challenges you might face as a woman are different from those you have as a result of coming from a minority background. It’s across all aspects of life, and can’t be reduced to specific examples. We have to dispel the myth that prejudice is always there in front of you. It’s not. It all overlaps. The term ‘intersectionality’ expresses it best.… We have to look around and ask how we can be more inclusive.”
Posted August 24, 2017
