The Charlotte Symphony’s only had white men as maestros for 90 years. Will it change?
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Throughout its 90-year history, every time the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra hired a new music director, the maestro’s job went to a white man.
Charlotte’s not alone in seeing such trends at arts organizations or other nonprofits; white males dominating leadership roles often is taken for granted.
But as orchestras around the country slowly begin to address representation in leadership roles, the Charlotte Symphony has an opportunity to forge a new path.
After a dozen years as conductor, maestro Christopher Warren-Green recently stepped down, and a national search is underway for the orchestra’s 12th music director. Warren-Green will serve as conductor laureate and artistic adviser until a successor is named
Starting this fall, a diverse group of guest conductors will take a turn at the helm of one of Charlotte’s oldest arts institutions, the longest continuously operating symphony orchestra in the state. The list includes men and women, and also Black and Asian conductors.
David Fisk, CEO of the Charlotte Symphony, said the basic qualities of what they are looking for in a new music director are the same — the person must be a fantastic conductor with chemistry with the orchestra.
“But what’s different these days from way back when is, it’s really important now for the leader of the orchestra to understand the communities that we are here to serve. And to be very committed to making the orchestra available to as many people as possible,” Fisk said.
Over the past decade, orchestras are seeing representation in conductor roles trend toward greater ethnic and racial diversity.
The percentage of non-white conductors increased from 15.7% in 2006 to 21.8% in 2016, according to a report by the League of American Orchestras. That 2016 report is the league’s most recent study on the issue.
Similarly, when just highlighting music directors, the non-white percentage has increased from 16.7% to 21.8% for the same length of time, the report said. Music directors are the principal conductors of orchestras with influence over their creative direction.
But the gender mix of conductors has remained largely unchanged between 2006 and 2016. The ratio of male to female music directors remained constant at 10-1 , the report said.
Changing who is on stage is a generational challenge that in part tracks back to access to music education, said Simon Woods, CEO of the orchestra league.
“That’s why we advocate so strongly for music education being available to all,” he said. “We know without changing that we’re not going to change the fundamentals of who’s playing on stage.”
Changes at other orchestras
Some symphonies already are leading the way in changing who’s in charge.
Last year, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra announced that Nathalie Sutzmann would be its next music director. Stutzmann is only the second woman in history to lead a top-tier American orchestra, according to a New York Times report.
The first woman was Marin Alsop, who led the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra from 2007 to 2021. In July, the Baltimore Symphony announced her successor: Charleston native Jonathon Heyward, who is Black.
Heyward, who will debut in the 2023-24 season, will be the first person of color to lead the 106-year-old symphony.
“There’s change happening,” Woods said. “It’s happening in a rather accelerated way than it was happening a few years ago. It’s definitely overdue, but it’s also definitely incredibly welcomed.”
Conductors as community leaders
When a conductor steps to the podium they stand at the heart of two communities: the growing Charlotte metro area and the musicians on stage.
“It’s a really complicated position to ask any person to step into,” said Christopher James Lees, resident conductor at the Charlotte Symphony. “The chemistry between the orchestra and conductor has to be so synergistic, so exciting, and get buy-in from all 62 of our musicians. And they also have to be able to advocate for this art form that has been around for hundreds of years.”
While the guest conductor job may serve as an informal trial run for music director for some, the selection process will still take time. It’s not unusual for it to stretch over a few years, Fisk said. Any of the guest conductors who come through could become a candidate.
“The only way you can really tell if you have a good match between an orchestra and conductor,” Fisk said, “is to have them work together and present concerts.”
Being a great conductor of traditional music is only one part of the job, he added. Another is understanding the role a symphony orchestra has today.
“It’s about education, the work in the schools and being out in the community, as much as it is about being in a traditional venue,” Fisk said.
‘The pool was not that diverse’
The evolution of the leadership role and gradual changes seen in the arts could be important for the Queen City.
“Whatever is happening on stages, in venues, or museums should really reflect the population of Charlotte and Mecklenburg,” said Krista Terrell, president of the Arts & Science Council. “Having that representation is important whether it’s age, gender, ethnicity (or) race.”
Representation also brings a level of perspective to organizations, she added.
Changing the focus could include what is offered during a season, or adding the work of historically excluded composers.
As the search committee started looking at potential candidates, they were pleased to see how broad the pool was, according to Fisk.
“Then we made sure as we shortened it, we captured the diversity from every perspective,” he said. “That’s what is different this time. Because 15 years ago, and certainly any time earlier than that, the pool was not that diverse.”
One of the great qualities of the Charlotte Symphony is its ability to play live music of all kinds — from classical to movie scores for blockbuster films, Fisk said.
Its growing range of projects, from a Queens of Soul program coming in October, to covering soundtracks of iconic films like “The Polar Express” in November, also aims to combat people perceiving orchestras as elitist.
That range helps capture audiences of all backgrounds, Fisk said.
“Then we can genuinely say we’re here for everybody,” he said. “And we need our next music director to be committed to that wide variety as well.”
‘It’s not about just this moment’
Lees has been a resident conductor with the Charlotte Symphony since 2018. He said being a music director of an American orchestra is a privilege, honor and responsibility, and a role that holds importance to the city and to the art form.
The new music director will need to weave together the roles of storyteller and communicator, while painting pictures that connect the dots between the orchestra’s artistry and wider themes in the world, he said.
“It’s not about just this moment,” Lees said. “It’s about the 90 years that’s come previously and about the next 90 years, to make sure Charlotteans a century from now have an even more expanded access, interest and availability to the kind of impact this art form can create for people.”
In March, Lees said he witnessed one of the highlights of the past season.
Every fifth grader in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools came to the Belk Theater to hear the orchestra play. Over 11,000 students also were able to learn about the instruments and orchestras.
Initiatives like Project Harmony, an after-school program for Charlotte-area students, also underscore the orchestra’s efforts to broaden youth involvement. This type of work can ensure a broad pool of candidates becomes the norm and not the exception, according to Fisk.
A new music director could be announced in a year or two. But a future maestro might have been in the audience of 11,000 students, looking at a stage they may one day grace.
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This story was originally published September 7, 2022 at 6:00 AM with the headline "The Charlotte Symphony’s only had white men as maestros for 90 years. Will it change?."
