The New York Youth Symphony has created an educational video mini-series showcasing the history and works of women composers, and composers from the LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities. The series, called “The Unsung,” is part of a new repertoire initiative led by NYYS Chamber Music Director Lisa Tipton and Assistant Director Tylor Thomas during the 2020-21 season. The series launched with four episodes, each featuring works by five composers. Episode 1 focuses on David Baker, Wynton Marsalis, Jeff Scott, Valerie Coleman, and Jesse Montgomery; additional episodes feature Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de St. George, William Grant Still, Sam Coleridge Taylor, Undine Smith Moore, and George Walker (episode 2), Florence Price, Amy Beach, Ethel Smyth, Libby Larsen, and Joan Tower (episode 3), and Beata Moon, Kenji Bunch, Bright Sheng, Reena Esmail, and Ananda Sukarlan (episode 4). Among artists appearing in the videos are composers Libby Larsen and Beata Moon, Bronx Arts Ensemble Artistic Director Judith Insell, cellist Tomoko Fujita, and pianist Adrienne Kim. NYYS Executive Director Shauna Quill says the videos continue “our work in honoring and uplifting composers who have paved the way, and composers who continue to push for greater representation within the music community.”
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