Louder: Black Artists on How to Change Classical Music

Plus: David Lee Roth, Drake, "I May Destroy You" and More

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story July 17, 2020 By Caryn Ganz Pop Music Editor Hello! I am passing the mic to our classical music editor, Zachary Woolfe: Every corner of America struggles with racial inequity. But since their major institutions were founded on white European models and their focus is obstinately on the distant past, classical music and opera have been even slower than society at large to deal with it. Black players make up less than 2 percent of the nation’s orchestras; the Metropolitan Opera still has yet to put on a work by a Black composer. This situation has long been a stain on the field, and, like so much systemic inequality, it’s been getting overdue notice since the end of May. We on the classical team at The Times wanted to sketch out some sense of concrete actions that can be taken in response. We spoke to nine Black performers about steps toward transforming a white-dominated field. Our chief critic, Tony Tommasini, wrote that orchestras should end “blind” auditions as part of a concerted effort to foster diversity, moving to something like an elite college admissions model. And another of our writers, Josh Barone, wrote about racism in opera, particularly behind the scenes. (And now it’s Caryn again. Read that package.) Also this week: David Lee Roth chatted with Rich Bienstock about the artwork he’s making in quarantine in an incredibly David Lee Roth manner. Jon Caramanica looked at how country music has responded to the larger industry’s calls to examine racism, and found that while the genre’s outsiders are speaking up, its mainstream is still throwing a pool party. Luke Winkie profiled Imanbek, a 19-year-old from Kazakhstan who posted a remix of Saint Jhn’s “Roses” on Russian social media and was surprised to find it become a hit. And a note from our crosswords and games team: The acrostic puzzle has appeared regularly in The New York Times since 1943. Over all those years, there have been only five people responsible for its creation, and this week they welcome a sixth: the musician Nick Lowe. Try it out (with a Games subscription) here. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Mustafah Abdulaziz for The New York Times   Black Artists on How to Change Classical Music Nine performers describe the steps they recommend to begin transforming a white-dominated field. By Zachary Woolfe and Joshua Barone Tim Kantor   Critic’s Notebook To Make Orchestras More Diverse, End Blind Auditions If ensembles are to reflect the communities they serve, the audition process should take into account race, gender and other factors. By Anthony Tommasini Sara Krulwich/The New York Times   Critic’s Notebook Opera Can No Longer Ignore Its Race Problem As the industry rebuilds from the coronavirus pandemic, it must face long-simmering issues of representation. 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