“Opening-night programs tend to make a statement,” writes Tom Jacobs in Tuesday’s (8/10) San Francisco Classical Voice. “San Francisco Symphony Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen will conduct music by… Alberto Ginastera and Silvestre Revueltas, plus songs by … jazz great Wayne Shorter. Chicago Symphony Music Director Riccardo Muti will conduct works by … Florence Price and Joseph Bologne…. New York Philharmonic Music Director Jaap van Zweden will conduct music by … Anna Clyne and … George Walker.… For orchestras all around America, this coming season will feature more works by women and composers of color than ever before. What’s more, many are embracing diversity as an essential part of their new identity…. Rob Deemer [with] his colleague Humay Gasimzade, … has created a one-of-a-kind database … the Institute for Composer Diversity [uses] information from the season announcements of more than 100 professional ensembles…. For the upcoming season, … works scheduled for performance by women comprise 12%, and nearly 17% are by composers of color…. Even with this shift, more than three-quarters of the works performed by America’s orchestras in the coming year will be by white men.” The article includes commentary from Deemer, pianist Lara Downes, and artistic and administrative leaders at orchestras.
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