Not What I Wanted To Talk About, But...

The Cesspool of Classical Music

Apr 21, 2024

This week I had planned to start my 4-part series on practicing: a discussion of appropriate learning approaches for Beginners, Intermediate, College/Early Professional, and Advanced players. I’ve been really looking forward to sharing my ideas, and have some great drafts worked up.

But then this past week happened.

Well, not exactly this week. Rather, something happened back in 2010 which is suddenly in the news as the scandal du jour: in the forefront of the minds of classical musicians and audiences worldwide, thanks to the investigative reporting of Sammy Sussman in New York Magazine. And to be clear, it’s a story that continues to happen on a regular basis, and has happened for literally millennia. But this time the accounting of the facts was researched and presented so thoroughly and so compellingly that it’s frankly impossible to ignore. And that is a very good thing — any time that a story of crime is documented well enough to actually bring about some form of justice. In this case, it also is bringing to the public’s attention the degree to which victims are routinely punished for speaking out about crimes or injustice in the field of classical music.

I won’t go into all the details here (drugging/rape by co-workers, denial, coverup, ostracism of victim at work, denial of tenure, ostracism and denial of co-worker who stood up for the victim, legal botching, miscarriage of justice) but rather point to two important resources for this particular story that I would urge everyone to see.

https://www.vulture.com/article/new-york-philharmonic-sexual-assault-scandal.html
https://www.facebook.com/KatherineNeedlemanOboist

Some people might question why I’m talking about this today (I’ve been questioning it myself, since I really wanted to post about practicing.) Isn’t the world of an organist quite separated and different from what’s going on in the dressing rooms and hotel rooms of orchestral musicians?

Sadly, it’s really not. These dynamics are first apparent in the educational system, where sexual grooming (and worse) often happen. It doesn’t matter if you play the piano, oboe, horn, organ, or if you sing. And the more talented you are, the more you may be at risk, as the most important and talented musician/teachers are often seen as god-like, incapable of wrongdoing (and therefore risky for the institutions in question to take public action, including proper investigations and dismissals.) It’s a risk factor also that teaching happens behind closed doors, and that invaluable musical experiences happen in the summer camps, tours, trips, and other overnight.

And it’s not just sexual assault that is the problem here — it’s a continuation of the age old story of discrimination. Usually that means either sex/gender/orientation or race/religion, but there are more varieties, such as which school you went to or whose student you are. If you don’t fit in with whoever’s in power, then you’re less likely to get, or keep, the job.

I’ve seen and experienced many of these dynamics as a teenager, as a conservatory and music school student, as a young professional, and as a seasoned performing artist and music director. And while I’ve never personally heard a story quite like what is detailed in this week’s breaking news, I know a lot of these powerful orchestral musicians (Katherine Needleman calls them BFM: Big Fancy Men), and am not entirely surprised to hear of their silence (at best) and possible complicity (at worst.)

Many of you know that almost two years ago I began my research into why people are leaving the field of church music, and the extent to which abuse has played a factor, which culminated in the publication of my article/research “David’s Harp, Saul’s Spear.” [Click here for "David's Harp, Saul's Spear”] From the 440 research poll responses, I found 13% had been abused within their church workplace, and 32% had a close friend who had. Within the greater field of classical music, 27% had been abused, and an astonishing 47% had a close friend who had. It was exhausting, frustrating, tearful, and very difficult to pay such close attention to this horrific topic, especially when the responses kept pouring in, one heartbreaking story after another.

But we need to keep talking. We need to have the awareness that these stories bring us of How Things Really Are. The truth is that along with all the other injustices of the world, violence and discrimination is rampant in the field of music — whether concert based, church-based, or in the educational system.

It’s not okay to violate another person.
It’s not okay to deny the violence done to another person.
It’s not okay to lie about and ostracize the victim.
It’s not okay to force that person out of their livelihood and passion.
It’s not okay to lie about why that person was forced out.
It’s not okay to gang up on anyone who supports the person who was violated.
It’s not okay to cultivate a climate in which people who talk about these things are silenced and punished.
It’s not okay to continue with ‘business as usual’ with colleagues who have abusive to others, whether in the profession or in the outside world.

And it’s simply not okay to be silent about all of this.

Thanks for listening.

Thanks for sharing, talking, and raising awareness.

Thanks for taking action, any action, so that we can get our music world out of this cesspool of abuse.

Organing Article Four: April 21, 2024
Not What I Wanted To Talk About, But...

A WORD ABOUT SUBSCRIBING: I intend never to require paid subscriptions to my writings, but gratefully welcome donations whenever they are possible. Obviously the writing, interviewing, and editing take a great deal of time, and so this is certainly a professional endeavor on my part. At the same time, I hope that every reader is able to access this material, take away at least some kind of insight, and hopefully share it with others. Thank you for your support and interest.

Organing ~ with Diane Meredith Belcher

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