Expert musicians will tell you that every American genre has its roots
in Black music – but in the halls dedicated to music at its highest
level, there are almost no Black musicians.
Currently led by Joshua Worby, the Westchester Philharmonic prides
itself on supporting artists of diverse backgrounds in an industry based
on a 250-year-old white, European tradition.
"We want to personify on the stage what we hope to see in the house,” he says.
Over the past 10 seasons, the Philharmonic has worked with 30 conductors
or guest soloists from diverse racial backgrounds. But of the freelance
musicians that make up the orchestra, only three are people of color.
Eugene Moye, the principal cellist, is one of them.
"A lot of times I feel alone and am alone,” he told News 12.
According to the League of American Orchestras, less than 2% of musicians in the country's orchestras are Black.
Moye says the issue is not about race, but class. He credits Greenwich
Public Schools for getting him where he is. He says some European and
Asian countries encourage students to learn and appreciate classical
music – not so much in the United States. It's
something that Moye called “tragic.”
Many orchestras also have union contracts to give musicians some job
security, so changing the face of an orchestra can only happen when
someone chooses to leave.
Worby
says there's so much more to do, but Westchester has been diversifying
long before it was popular. The orchestra has found Black-owned
businesses to work with,
elected a Black board chair and has performed for many children who may
not have ever been exposed to classical music.