The Last Water Fountain: The Struggle Against Systemic Racism in Classical Music
Recommendation
In the world of classical music, systemic racism is pervasive. In the top dozen US orchestras, only about 2% of musicians and conductors are Black. The heart of the matter is the image of a Black musician playing â or a Black conductor leading â Beethoven or Wagner amid racist fear that classical music may lose its traditional culture. One donor actually said, âYou people have jazz and rock ânâ roll. Why canât you leave the classical to us?â Mark MacNamaraâs article in the San Francisco Cultural Voice explores a rarely addressed topic: the struggle of Black musicians against this âculture of exclusion,â and one manâs effort to bring equality to the concert hall.
Summary
About the Author
Journalist Mark MacNamara writes for Nautilus and San Francisco Classical Voice (SFCV.org).
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