Analysis Based on factual reporting, although it incorporates the expertise of the author/producer and may offer interpretations and conclusions.
How Black Classical Musicians Are Creating Community
Why you can trust us
Music has been , and in these same months, have .
While pop or hip-hop music are genres whose , this threatens to neglect other arenas of music making.
Some arts organizations in Canada have聽, turned their platforms over to Black artists, or spotlighted their work. A recent virtual event, 鈥�,鈥� featured acclaimed sopranos Measha Brueggergosman, Othalie Graham, and Audrey DuBois Harris, and was produced by聽, a U.S. documentary film company. But what of a wider and cohesive community of Black classical instrumentalists in Canada today?
While there is a long history of professional classical musicianship in the Black community, there are gaps of knowledge about Black classical artistry in Canada.
Black classical artists might spend their careers in majority-White orchestras and small ensembles across Canada, without knowledge of others who share their experience. But this might be changing as , change the trajectory of their careers, , and step into leadership roles where they call for systemic change.
Black Classical Canada
In the United States, a by the League of American Orchestras found that of musicians in .
Similar data isn鈥檛 available in Canada. A study commissioned by Orchestras Canada published in 2018 found that systemic inequity and coloniality underpinning Canadian classical music creates hierarchies reinforcing racism and cultural appropriation. Ethnomusicologist authored the study with writer Soraya Peerbaye. Attariwala notes that because of Canada鈥檚 privacy laws, they could not compile race-related statistics about who is part of orchestras. She is now exploring the idea of orchestras taking voluntary statistical surveys.
Some prominent have gained newfound attention through work by Black Canadians: Conductor founded the in 1998, honoring the . Classical singer and Nova Scotian has been the subject of several Black artists and became more commonly known in 1999, .
Although research has been broadly conducted into how , , and have affected Black participation in classical music, we have yet to see a comprehensive study of Canadian Black contributions to Canadian classical music history.
Absence of Colleagues, Mentors
Canada has no comprehensive listing of contemporary Black classical instrumentalists. As the co-authors of this story, our shared interest in classical musicianship emerged through discussions, and an interest in reporting on Black classical instrumentalists came to the fore. Of the five Black classical instrumentalists whose work we were aware of, three were available to participate in interviews.
Black classical instrumentalists often experience their successes, as well as the without the support of colleagues and mentors who might help navigate such terrain. All were pleased to have their experiences brought to light.
Negative experiences can start early.
Bassoonist Sheba Thibideau was told that her lips were 鈥渢oo big鈥� to play the flute and that she was 鈥渘ot suitable鈥� for violin by the principal of her elementary school in Vancouver.
Tanya Charles Iveniuk, who is on faculty at , the , and the , had an easier entry. Surrounded by the sounds of her older brother practicing the piano, she announced, at age 3, that she wanted to play the violin. And so it was.
In university, however, both musicians described impacts of . It often appeared as mysterious absence of access: to the appropriate performance-level student orchestra, to mentorship and information on how to navigate the to professional life as a classical musician. They experienced microaggressions, at times, outright hostility or a lack of awareness of different economic circumstances.
Both question if they hadn鈥檛 spent considerable energy navigating, explaining, and protecting themselves within the pressure cooker of predominantly White environments and power structures.
鈥淚 have a great career now,鈥� says Iveniuk, 鈥渁nd yet, I鈥檓 haunted by that question.鈥� This is psychic and emotional work that White (and aren鈥檛 required to do.
Something Is Rotten
One of Iveniuk鈥檚 students, a boy from St. Vincent Island, like her, told her that he didn鈥檛 know that it was OK to pursue the violin until he had her as a teacher. Rarely are White musicians questioned when they from historically Black traditions. But Black children what is and is not for them.
鈥淥rchestras have a lot of work to do in this area,鈥� says , principal education conductor and community ambassador of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. He has in his role. Through outreach, educational support, and other consistent work in the community, orchestras can become a place where people go to hear their children and neighbors perform.
Until that work is accomplished, the orchestra can be a hostile place for the .
Real Change
鈥淏lack people are all exhausted. I was completely burnt out after ,鈥� says Bartholomew-Poyser. He suggests that instead of asking what to avoid saying to Black people, put them on the board or in positions of power.
As artist-in-residence and community ambassador of , he received a call from Christopher Wilkinson, the CEO. 鈥淗e asked me, 鈥楧o you think we could do a concert with and Symphony Nova Scotia? I thought about it for three seconds. I said, 鈥榊es.鈥欌��
Bartholomew-Poyser envisions the orchestra as a library of sound that can be applied to music from all over the world, not just the European canon. He arranged bhangra music for the symphony. The concert was a success.
鈥淭hat is what inclusion looks like. That is vulnerability on his (Wilkinson鈥檚) part. That is respect. That is handing over responsibility. Putting people of color in positions of power. And trusting them with it,鈥� he says.
Bartholomew-Poyser insists artists need to be able to talk about their experiences of microaggressions, 鈥溾�� and more overt harm, with each other and with their organizations. The and were recently called out by Black artists.
The Power of Many
Iveniuk relished experiences of working and the opportunity to be . 鈥淢ind blown!鈥� she laughs. 鈥淎 whole orchestra of us?鈥�
Thibideau has yet to have that experience. She鈥檚 dedicating 2020 to creating her including a performance package to be used to entertain people in the prison system.
Iveniuk鈥檚 many projects include the and planning to train as many BIPOC kids as she can.
Bartholomew-Poyser plans to catch young BIPOC players coming up. He says support looks like money, as well as mentorship, lessons, and transportation to and from concerts. It also looks like Black classical artists keeping in touch, he says, because 鈥渨e need each other.鈥�
In Canada鈥檚 already spread-out classical community, these vital connections will be the key to increasing the participation and visibility of Black instrumentalists.
This story was originally published by . It is reprinted here with permission.
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Gloria Blizzard
is a Black Canadian woman of mixed heritage, with links to the middle passage, surrounded by European culture, living on Indigenous lands of the Americas. She was born in London, Ontario, Canada, to Trinidadian parents. With deep interests in music, dance, science, race, culture and spirituality, she bring these perspectives to essays, memoir, poetry, and reviews. Publications include: cbc.ca, Globe and Mail, Dance International, THIS, NOW and WORD Magazine, Canadian Forum, Herizons, Poetry Canada Review, and ACTA Victoriana.
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Gillian Turnbull
is the author of Sonic Booms: Making Music in an Oil Town. She holds a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from York University and an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from the University of King鈥檚 College. She is a writer and editor and has worked in the music and broadcast industries. A frequent contributor to The Walrus, The National Post, and Hazlitt, Gillian has also written for The Puritan, VUE Weekly, BC Musician, Penguin Eggs, and No Depression. Gillian is also the former editor of Canadian Folk Music. She teaches pop music and culture courses at Ryerson University, where she oversees the Music Minor and new course development, and is a mentor in the MFA in Creative Nonfiction program at the University of King鈥檚 College.
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