“Esther Mellon has played cello for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra since 1977. In many ways, the job has been a dream come true,” writes Elizabeth Nonemaker in Thursday’s (12/17) Baltimore Sun. “But it has also been, in her words, ‘lonely.’ Mellon is the only Black instrumentalist in the orchestra’s roster of 75 players…. Orchestras are some of the least racially diverse workplaces in the country…. African Americans … and Latinos … are vastly underrepresented…. The BSO … this fall … named Jonathan Rush as an assistant conductor … Appointing a Black conductor is, in Rush’s words, ‘a milestone.’ … BSO president and CEO Peter Kjome acknowledged … that there is ‘significant work to be done.’ … The BSO’s plans to … program more composers of color; increase board diversity; implement a staff equity and inclusion work group; and renew partnerships … Since the summer, the BSO has … added two more people of color to the board of directors [and] is in the process of hiring a senior director of human resources and inclusion…. The BSO’s newly announced five-year contract with its players indicates additional opportunities to significantly increase the number of full-time musicians of color.” The article cites diversity statistics from the League of American Orchestras.
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