I started a completely different blog post earlier today; musical, but lighthearted and somewhat silly. I hope to share it another time, but today’s post was hijacked by a couple of absolutely unexpected videos which brought me right back to issues of race and identity.
For many years I’ve loved “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, so I was immediately interested when the title popped up as I was browsing various virtual orchestra videos. My first thought was that it would be a virtual choir rendition. Well. I’m just going to let you listen before I say any more…
Okay, so this blew me away on a number of levels. First of all, the musicality alone is absolutely stunning. It is by far the most accomplished remotely-recorded performance I’ve heard yet.
Secondly, it brought home to me just how far removed I am from the classical music scene. I was almost entirely unaware of the changes that have taken place in the last twenty years. I mean, the principal clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic is black and I had no idea! That is HUGE! Also principal clarinet in Phoenix, principal flute in Seattle, principal bassoon in Atlanta, and principal oboe in Nashville — all black! Wow.
Finally, the musical artistry, historical imagery, and photos of highly accomplished black people come together to create an amazingly empowering statement.
I’ll share the other “unexpected” video tomorrow; this is quite long enough for tonight!