Members of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in Powell Hall (large photo) and Dr. Yolanda Alovor, the orchestra’s inaugural Vice President of External Affairs and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (inset).
“Starting today, Dr. Yolanda Alovor takes on a brand-new role [as] the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s first Vice President of External Affairs and Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion,” a newly created position, writes Christine Jackson in Tuesday’s (1/18) St. Louis Magazine (MO). “Alovor spoke recently “about her … plans for the SLSO…. Alovor: Equity and diversity has been at the forefront for Marie-Hélène [Bernard] and the board for six or seven years now… My position here is not to reinvent, but to reimagine the way we engage with our community and … serve … the greater St. Louis area…. Our orchestra has … been creative. With the whole pandemic and the social unrest, they’ve been digitizing [programs]. They’re … serving over 60,000 students. It’s impressive. So for me, my position is to be a change agent, not really reinventing the wheel…. EDI has become such a pivotal force in every organization across the globe.… What makes me most excited about SLSO is that, while that is a central focus of their strategic plan … the collective glue that makes that important is the fact that its binded through music [that] can speak to the heart of the community.”
