As the College of Music gears up for another academic year of artistry, students, faculty and staff are also preparing for one of the college鈥檚 marquee events in just a few weeks. Sixteen members of the renowned Cleveland Orchestra will be in residence at CU Boulder for three days in early September.
Occurring every two years as part of the Daniel P. Sher Master Class Program, the residency provides College of Music students with a unique opportunity to pick the brains of some of the top orchestral musicians in the country. Hands-on learning in the form of sectionals, master classes and a huge side-by-side rehearsal with the entire CU Symphony Orchestra provides a new perspective and supplements the superb coaching students receive every day from college faculty.
This year, in addition to an intensive few days of insight about the music itself, the residency will also include a new component. Organized by the college鈥檚 Community Engagement and Social Innovation Coordinator Katie Skayhan, members of the Cleveland Orchestra will take part in a panel discussion on women in orchestras on Tuesday morning, Sept. 10. Skayhan will moderate the conversation, which will be free and open to the public.听Lynne Ramsey, viola (pictured above);听Jessica Sindell, flute; and听Trina Bourne, harp, will join her on stage.
In an industry where, according to a 2018 study by , 69% of the musicians in the top 20 orchestras in the world are male-identifying, Skayhan says this is an important conversation to have.
鈥淧anels like these should raise awareness and open our hearts and ears to the possibilities that we haven鈥檛 even imagined,鈥� she explains. 鈥淥ftentimes, we uplift women鈥檚 voices, but it鈥檚 framed in a narrow context (women talking to other women). It鈥檚 important to prioritize women鈥檚 voices in a position of leadership for a public audience.鈥�
Working with members of the College of Music鈥檚 Diverse Musicians鈥� Alliance (DiMA), Skayhan says she has heard myriad stories about unconscious bias in the music world鈥攅ven in cases when blind screening is used during auditions.
鈥淎 female-identifying student might have a lighter breath when preparing for a flute entrance in contrast to a male-identifying counterpart. Female-identifying students of all instrumental varieties will choose flats over heels so as not to trigger the ear of the listener.鈥�
Even Skayhan, herself a vocalist and a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, has her own stories to tell.
鈥淎s a singer, I experienced an entirely different form of audition bias as a student and aspiring young professional. With pressure to be 鈥楬D-ready鈥� for the world of televised opera, we can鈥檛 lean on tactics such as blind screening.听
鈥淲e must commit to inclusive casting practice with a body positive message鈥�
A similar bias exists for composers. According to data from the , which studied the programming planned for 120 orchestras鈥� upcoming seasons, nearly 20% aren鈥檛 planning to present any works written by female composers, and only two orchestras have seasons planned with more than 30% of programming written by women.听
Skayhan says while data is compelling, the answer to this problem is not in leveling the numbers. It鈥檚 in having discussions like the one that will happen at the Cleveland Orchestra panel.
鈥淚 do not believe that the gender equity conversation should be about leveling the data points and finding balance. That鈥檚 too simple. We need to wrestle with why this imbalance exists in the first place. How do we ensure that this doesn鈥檛 persist? What is the role of the orchestra in all this moving forward?鈥�
As part of its strategic plan, the College of Music has been making efforts toward bringing more diversity to the music world. A new Diversity Committee, DiMA and other initiatives are only part of the work.
鈥淭his past year, we launched the Persevering Legacy series (pictured here), which celebrates the music of historically marginalized female African American composers,鈥� Skayhan says. 鈥淎fter the , one of the student performers commented, 鈥楾his is the first time I鈥檝e ever played a piece by a female composer, let alone a woman of color, like me.鈥� How is that possible, and how many others share this story?
鈥淭he college is distinguishing itself as a vehicle for elevating these critical discussions. We are catalyzing recognition of gender equity and creating space to go deeper in other conversations. We see these conversations as a chance to steward student development and plant seeds for long-term impact on the industry.鈥�
The Cleveland Orchestra members鈥� residency was made possible by a $150,000 pledge from The Clinton Family Fund. Bruce Clinton is a longtime philanthropist and supporter of orchestras nationwide.
Find more information about the Cleveland Orchestra women鈥檚 panel on the Events page, and don鈥檛 miss on Tuesday night, Sept. 10, during the Faculty Tuesdays series.
