“On a recent Wednesday morning at Miami Beach’s … New World Center, a group of 18 string musicians has gathered for a three-day intensive of lessons, mock auditions, and performance psychology seminars,” writes Celia Almeida in Friday’s (6/8) Miami New Times. “The participating musicians have earned a spot at the inaugural National Alliance for Audition Support (NAAS) initiative, which aims to diversify American orchestras. A 2016 study [from the League of American Orchestras] showed that only 1.8 percent of the nation’s orchestra players are African-American and 2.5 percent are Latinx, making orchestras one of America’s least racially diverse institutions…. All of the participants at this seminar are black or Latinx. The participants were selected from the recent Sphinx Orchestral Partners Auditions—sponsored by the Detroit-based Sphinx Organization, which brings together orchestras that are interested in advancing diversity. NAAS is a partnership between Sphinx, the League of American Orchestras, and New World Symphony, and is made possible through the support of [The Andrew W.] Mellon Foundation.”
Posted June 12, 2018
Pictured: The New World Symphony’s home in Miami Beach, where the National Alliance for Audition Support (NAAS) recently held a three-day workshop for Black and Latinx musicians. NAAS is a partnership among the Sphinx Organization, New World Symphony, and the League of American Orchestras. Photo by Rui Dias-Aidos
