The classical music world experienced a significant increase in American orchestras performing music by women composers and composers of color in recent years, according to a 2022 report by the Institute of Composer Diversity (ICD) and the League of American Orchestras. The full report examined programming trends, especially involving marginalized composers, in U.S. orchestras from 2015-2022.
The report found concerts featuring works by women composers and composers of color increased from 4.5% in 2015 to 22.5% in 2022, with works by women composers of color increasing from 0.4% in 2015 to 6.1% in 2022. Overall, “changes in diverse programming” impacted all orchestra budget groups in geographic regions.
Although these statistics are promising, the report acknowledges that there’s still more work to do around increasing diverse representation in classical music. Musicians of color have had a tremendous impact on almost every genre of music, but American classical music continues to remain predominantly white. Even the ICD report found that music by deceased white males made up over “two-thirds of the work programmed in the 2021-2022” season.
Robert F. Smith Supports Classical Musicians of Color
An “unabashed music lover,” philanthropist Robert F. Smith was introduced to music by his father, who played as many as seven instruments. Having fallen in love with classical music, Smith frequently supports efforts that celebrate classical musicians of color.
Smith supports the Sphinx Organization, a social justice nonprofit that aims to transform lives through “the power of diversity in the arts.” The organization focuses on increasing representation of Black and Latinx classical artists and offers programs and scholarships to help aspiring musicians become seasoned professionals.
In 2016, Smith provided the Sphinx Organization with a significant contribution that went towards the Robert Frederick Smith Prize, a $50,000 scholarship given annually to a select group of young musicians. “Music is at the core of the African-American and Latino cultural experience, and provides us with a language to inspire, uplift and empower our young people,” Smith said in a press release announcing the contribution. “I partnered with Sphinx to give this prize because Sphinx understands how music transforms lives and through its competition can recognize the very best musicians in the world.” In 2016, the inaugural Robert Frederick Smith Prize was awarded to Thomas Mesa, a Cuban-American cellist who went on to appear as a soloist at the Supreme Court of the United States on three occasions.
In 2019, Fund II Foundation, of which Smith is founding director and President, donated $3 million to help fund a networking conference, SphinxConnect, and other leadership and career development programs.
Learn more about Smith’s involvement with the Sphinx Organization.
