Social Impact Statement
The National Symphony Orchestra is committed to being a true 21st-century orchestra by reflecting the community it serves and engaging with and producing art guided by inclusion and diversity. The National Symphony Orchestra acknowledges our role in the systemic racism that is pervasive in classical music. For far too long, classical music has been a lens used to uphold the social systems in which it was written instead of as a canvas to explore and contextualize the present. We have several programs designed to address this issue and are committed to the active dedication and reframing required to be a truly anti-racist institution at every level.
The NSO’s Cartography Project will commission works from Black composers across the United States, creating a musical map of communities across the country impacted by racial hate crimes. The new works will link these communities through art to facilitate healing and conversation about the future of anti-racism, aided by music’s innate power to remind us of what we all share. Through the Cartography Project, the NSO will amplify powerful artistic voices and deepen relationships across the country.
Our dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion does not just start and stop on the stage. We continue to rethink and reevaluate our education work to ensure that it is equitable and as reflective of our community as possible. Our Washington Musical Pathways Initiative (WMPI) program partners with the DC Youth Orchestra and Levine School of Music to ensure that Black and Latinx students intending to study music at the collegiate level have the mentorship, access, and resources to succeed throughout their pre-college music education. WMPI seeks to ensure that orchestras reflect the diversity and breadth of the cities they inhabit, thereby uplifting their communities through the power of classical music.
As we continue to grow the depth of our existing and newer programs, we are guided by inclusion as we assess, reflect, and change our decision-making approaches internally. Our Orchestral leadership will be strengthened through our work to re-evaluate recruiting practices and leadership qualifications and characteristics, all with the intention of providing access and invitations to leadership opportunities for underrepresented groups. This is just the beginning as we continue to learn, engage, and evolve both externally and internally to better support the students, audiences, and communities we serve.