New Research on Orchestra Fellowships Seeks Former Fellows

Orchestras around the nation have responded in a variety of ways to the challenges of becoming more diverse and accessible institutions. Some have developed fellowship programs designed to support African American and Latino musicians moving from their formal music education into the ranks of professional players.

The League of American Orchestras, which has a long history of researching and understanding the dynamics of race in symphonic music, is now turning its attention to fellowships. It has commissioned Chicago-based reMaking Culture to conduct a study examining the impact of these programs on musicians and orchestras; factors influencing their effectiveness; and assumptions behind their delivery and design.Team members Monica Hairston O’Connell, Slover Linett Audience Strategies, and lead researcher Nick Rabkin bring decades of experience to the work and are committed to producing a study that reflects the experiences of the musicians at the center of the programs as well as the dynamics of the programs and their sponsors.

The research team seeks contact information and leads for any African American and Latina/o musicians who have been fellows or applied for a fellowship in any U.S.-based orchestral fellowship program. The confidential information we gather from these contacts and those provided from the orchestras will be key to a quality study. Please send an email to remakingculture@gmail.com if you have participated in an orchestra fellowship program in any way, whether or not you remain in the field. Thank you!