“The Fall River Symphony Orchestra is bringing a diverse array of orchestral music to an increasingly diverse audience,” writes Audrey Cooney in Thursday’s (2/11) Herald News (Fall River, MA). “It may seem timely given the past year’s public outcry over systemic racism, but really it’s been the game plan for years. ‘We have reached out and found more and more people who are interested in what we’re doing,’ … said music director Douglas McRay Daniels, … who is Black…. They’ve now incorporated Black composers like William Grant Still, more modern works by composers like Philip Glass and female composers like Jennifer Higdon…. As a resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement erupted last summer over police and vigilante killings of unarmed Black people, Daniels decided he couldn’t be content with merely putting out a statement of support…. He planned the orchestra’s current season … to present music entirely by Black composers. And this spring, it will host a panel of Black composers and advocates for the arts…. Daniels said … orchestral music is for everyone, even those who typically don’t see themselves represented in that sphere.”
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