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Most classical music professionals in major symphony orchestras around the country are white, according to the League of American Orchestras.
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| Nathaniel Taylor, 25, is trying to pursue a professional cello performance career playing the instrument he loves by breaking into the austere world of classical music. Photo: NBC |
Nathaniel Taylor was 5-years-old when the deep, mellow sounds of a cello being played on Sesame Street commanded his attention. Elmo was the interviewer. World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma was the musician.
Years later, when he began learning the cello, classical music stole his heart.
Now Taylor, 25, is trying to pursue a professional career playing the instrument he loves, but he'll need to break into the austere world of classical music for that to happen. That's a path filled with a numerous challenges — arguably more so for Taylor, who's half African-American and half Filipino.
Most classical music professionals in major symphony orchestras around the country are white, according to the League of American Orchestras. That includes well-known conservatories like The Julliard School, The Curtis Institute, and the New England Conservatory, to name a few.
As a result, America’s orchestras don’t look as diverse cities they serve. African-Americans make up 1.8 percent of orchestras nationwide while Hispanics make up 2.5 percent, according to an industry-wide study.
Those statistics inspired several performing arts organizations to form the National Alliance for Audition Support, which prepares talented musicians of color for auditions.
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Source: NBCNews.com
