Hello Readers! I receive a lot of emails from folks asking a lot of the same questions. So I decided to create a new Q&A section that I'd like to call 'Hey Rashida!' If you have a question, you can either post it below or email me. Ciao.

Q. How did the Myrtle Hart Society start?

Storm, from X-Men

Now, mind you, there were other people of color at NEC, in the vocal department. So, when I played an opera, I had companionship during breaks or whatever. But again, there was nothing connecting me to that purported “classical” identity besides my love of being on the stage right in the center of all of the drama. I loved to hold my ears shut when the anvil was cracked behind me during Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique. And I loved the overwhelmingly distraught feeling experienced during the 3^rd movement of Shosti’s (Shostakovich) 5^th. I loved swaying in my seat, singing along to Scheherazade. I thought, “Maybe I DO belong here since this feeling I have on stage is unparalleled. Maybe I WILL become an orchestral musician!” After all, I had role models. My teacher, Ann Hobson Pilot, was /is holding down the Principal harpist position at the Boston Symphony for like, my lifetime, which was both inspiring and also like, “Damn, how can anyone else occupy an orchestra gig when harpists get in there and stay there forever? I’m gonna have to start slicing fingers or something to get a job!” (Don’t get upset. I’m joking here.) And then it’s like only one, maybe two harpists per orchestra, and hundreds of harpists come out to audition for them… I was a freshman and already feeling overwhelmed with my impending career. So what I contented to do was be the bridge that got Black kids to see her, my teacher, in the orchestra. It was like, Sojourner Truth—I wanted to be the conductor of the underground orchestra railroad. (laugh) I was teaching harp at an inner city middle school in Dorchester and I told my students about orchestras and my own teacher… it was like being in Sunday School talking about heaven and how magical it was and didn’t they want to go? But I lacked all the necessary information to make my point really strong and convincing... I had a hard time believing myself... I had to find out more about being black and classical in order to share it with my students. A few years after graduating with my performance degree, I took real action.

I got into grad school at the University of Chicago to become a researcher, and was really interested in orchestras—how they form, who was in them, their collective identity, etc. See, in addition to the above sentiments about my orchestra experience, I’d been an American Symphony Orchestra League scholarship recipient all during high school—their goal is to financially support minorities who wanted to become professional orchestral musicians—but while I was researching and writing my thesis on 19^th century orchestras comprised mainly of Black performers, it became all the more clear that it’s not just about the money as many institutions collectively presume. I assessed myself, not that I was typical, but maybe I was! Maybe I wasn’t as anomalous as I thought! I knew that something was happening way before musicians either became professional or decided to audition for orchestra jobs. There was something psychologically embedded in the American makeup that was making things happen or not happen based on race, economics, something. But what was it and was it something even identifiable? What could I conclude when, in the 21^st century, out of hundreds of orchestras in the US, only a handful employ people of color? Employ. And I’m not talking subs, ‘cause I’ve been to concerts and been like, “Wait, who is that?” and scanned the listed personnel. Well, I count every Black person on stage anytime I go to a concert, so not just subs or something, but like full-time employment. All the musicians, soloists and conductors were white, either from Europe or the US playing music composed by and for them… except for that magnificent month of February when many major orchestras sighed heavily and (seemingly begrudgingly if I can pick on their marketing departments for a bit) played a piece by a Black composer. Yup, February or of course during the off-season when no one subscribed to anything. To be fair, I DID read this one letter from a white harpist after she played a piece by a composer of color and she was all excited like “Where do I get more?” Isn’t that refreshing? But usually, it’s like orchestras play a piece or even a series of music by Black composers and no one, as far as concert-goers are concerned, knows that it’s happening or it hasn’t been hyped up enough for anyone to care because where’s the investment prior to and so no one goes to see it. Then institutions think that there’s no demand for it and they don’t do it again because it’s all about money, right? But why don’t they make a big stink out of it like everything else? Is it taboo and I just didn’t get the memo or something? I don’t know. I don’t know… But every February I felt like, “Oh God. Here’s another feeble attempt to say, ‘See! We DO play music by them.’ Thanks for the toleration."

It wasn't enough, not for me at least. I'd already felt that my educational system failed to connect me with anyone besides slaves and pop culture. Taking music lessons since 7 as many kids do and still no identity. Tsk tsk. So I did what all frustrated people do: I got upset! (laugh) And then I talked about it. But what’s talking do if it’s just preaching to the choir? I'm like, "they give us the February brush off, presume that since they didn’t market or advertise it right that no one is interested, create data to back that notion that it’s unappealing and then where are we? Not making any impression on anyone, that’s what. Not teaching the kids about their heritage, that's what. Not saving anyone!" Oh would-be Storm... Anyway, I was tired of talking. I was tired of reading about things without action. I was angry and I wanted some kind of reaction! All of these and more sentiments went into my decision to found the Myrtle Hart Society.

P.S.
The programming I have planned will get music performed and musicians recognized and hopefully appreciated. But we’ll get to the other stuff later.

Q. After you decided to start MHS, what did you do?

After I started MHS, I realized that I wasn’t the only person who was really angry about the prejudiced nature of classical music. I mean, all along you always hear and read about its elitism, its racism, pretentiousness of the performers, etc. (An aside: You’ve all read me talk about the crap I’ve overheard throughout my lifetime as a Black classical harpist. I mean, I know I’m brown, but I’m not so dark as to be invisible and I’m bright so maybe that should be considered as well. But still, I’ve heard bigots say that there aren’t any Black musicians in major orchestras because they just can’t compete, like aren’t good enough to compete against whites and Asians. And that really made meangry because obviously that’s such a completely prejudiced jerk thing to say. Any intelligent person would think to either not say it out loud if thought or not say it to a thinking being of the same race being discriminated against. One would think, right? But I digress.) And you see that it’s severely segregated if you are conscious whatsoever about the racial makeup of anything in this world, and you wonder that maybe with globalization, classical music should also be evolving the way everything else appears to be to, you know, reflect the racially mixed society that we live in now, and since it’s not in some, like, time bubble kind of way, you don’t really understand why unless it’s just the whole world that’s still so racist and one might think, “my God! Is the classical music world really that reflective of American society at large?” and you hope it’s not true… It’s damn confusing to people who think about such issues. There are many who don’t.

Lots of folks from all races think “classical” = “white.” They see white and then all is right with the world. Normal, even. Now me, on the other hand, as a classical-trained harpist who happens to have been born of African ancestry, I think “classical,” I think “white,” I think what am I some freak of nature, some aberration? In my mind’s eye, all is not white in classical music. I see hundreds of classical musicians of color at my gigs in the Soulful Symphony, Sphinx Symphony and the Harlem Symphony, those I’ve gone to high school and college with… So why isn’t what I see reflected outside of educational institutions and inside concert venues? Or are we just really spread out? How many are we actually? I was curious. I wanted to know what was really happening. Some of these questions are presently being answered by the Myrtle Hart Society. See what happens when you decide to open your mouth and expose conversation that is usually relegated to private bitch and moan sessions amongst friends? It’s like, after the first month of the site being up, people began talking and sharing. During one particularly outrageous occurrence involving an aspiring vocalist who was fired the night before opening night only to be replaced by someone younger (and whiter), the floodgates really opened to communication. I got “insider” information, lots of opinions, lots of gossip… Some said it was an issue of quality, not prejudice. Others admitted there was discrimination, but considered the situation hopeless. Everyone in positions of power including scholars, critics, educators, arts administrators, and even the musicians… well, they broke my heart when they just passed the buck. But, the critics blamed the other girl’s management, the management blamed the vocalist, the musicians blamed the other girl, and so on. It was a mess. Anyway, MHS brings all of these things together, relates contemporary musicians and situations with its relevant historical similarities to ground us, give us a foundation and awaken the fact that we are a mighty network who can and should support one another.

Q. Why aren’t the comments that you receive posted on your site?

The classical music world is a very small place. Teeny. Many MHS readers are simply afraid that if they blow the whistle on some of classical music’s most powerful people, they can kiss their aspiring careers goodbye. But what we’re doing isn’t so bad is it? Talking? I mean, it’s simply an opinion, right? Nope. The people in power want to maintain it (and they’ll make you sign confidentiality contracts just so you can’t tell the world that they’re big old phonies.) But that’s not what this organization is about. It’s not about power. It’s not about my career. I’m only the would-be wizard behind the curtain trying to make things happen.

MHS is about trying to make, in a pseudo 60s revolutionary way I guess, the focus what it should’ve been all along: the music. Music shouldn’t be about our skintone or whatever personal drama is happening to individual performers. This is not a gossip column, nor do I want MHS to be about peoples’ personal lives. I want music. I want recognition for the efforts these folks are putting forth. I want communication and networking. I want a society that may not get along behind closed doors—what family gets along all the time—but knows when to band together. Can't community without unity, right?

Sure, I can build a web site and make it pretty and all that, but it’s only the beginning stages. I am a researcher and I am looking for the root of this race in classical music problem. I like to learn how people perceive classical musicians of color. Being a musician, I’ve seen and experience the symptoms already, but what’s the cause behind the racial and economic segregation? Yes, many people cannot afford instruments or lessons. But it goes deeper than that. And then for those who did have the opportunity to pursue music, graduated from Conservatories, went out for that audition...What's happening before that? Or even after when we don't get that gig? MHS acts along with many other organizations to understand the source of the problem. I used to naively wonder why blind auditions were necessary. Why did women have to take off their shoes to walk into these auditions? What’s the purpose of hiding if we’re just making music? I wanted to believe that music was meant to be heard and enjoyed, that it simply reflected our environments, and could be viewed as social commentary. I wanted to see it as art. I wanted to be moved to tears by the emotion behind the music, not moved to anger over the injustice. But I had to accept that something else was happening... More than just discrimination in the culture of the music, the prejudices were seemingly embedded in the culture of the music, in American culture. And it’s spreading. The 60s power movements were effective in part because so many people joined forces to make change possible. That is the community that MHS strives to build to bring about positive change.

Q. Why did you name the organization the Myrtle Hart Society?

Myrtle Hart is my musical ancestor. It seems very personal, but in fact, it's highly inspirational. I grew up in a family that respected their ancestors, their tradition, and their heritage. Myrtle Hart, although not a biological relative, is indeed a part of my heritage. I feel that her presence opened doors for me presently. There always has to be a beginning, right? Someone has to demonstrate that it, whatever it is, is possible. Then you, in the present, take it from there and build upon it. Anyway, when I found her picture and information in D. Antoinette Handy's Black women in American bands & orchestras, (2^nd Edition. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 1998: 65-66), I was so excited! It was like discovering my hidden past. I felt that I knew more about myself at that very moment. Just a testament to history and the future working together. Finding Myrtle helped me found this organization and to her I am grateful. 

Q. What was the response to your earliest actions?

For the most part, everyone has been so supportive and encouraging. I’ve not yet received any obvious criticism. I receive emails congratulating me all the time and just wishing me well. It’s beautiful, makes me cry sometimes. I get emails from Switzerland, Germany, Nigeria… It’s crazy that the little site that started out as a way to keep my friends involved in each others’ musical lives kaboomed into like thousands of people using it as a resource and networking tool. And I couldn’t be more thrilled. I just want everyone to succeed, you know? Like... I don’t want to be perceived as a complainer that no one was recognizing these great accomplishments, but really someone needed to raise awareness that my musical ancestors and my friends were and are awesome!

Q. What have you done since then?

Just building. Building. In my often humorous writings, I examine different aspects of discrimination in our culture at large, not just the classical world. In addition, I've received many many emails commenting on various issues that the community faces and I write about it to get it out in the open. I need people to communicate. Then there’s the monthly E-Newsletter that keeps everyone informed about that month’s highlighted performances. I’m telling you, MHS has found its way all over the world. Crazy. I have some other projects in mind for the future, some collaborations with local arts agencies… I want to do stuff with Little Black Pearl and Hyde Park Suzuki Institute and Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago and ETA Creative Foundation… I’m just like, who can I work with and what can we do that is both education and fun and gives the kids like a supplemental education. They’re taking so much out of schools, so much art making them all drones to work without thinking or exercising their creative muscles. I hate that. I don’t want a zombie kid on Ritalin. I want thinking speaking kids who challenge things and come up with new and innovative ideas. I am that kid! I’m always thinking and trying. I get like 4 hours of sleep a night. I sleep with my laptop right beside the bed so that when I awake, I’m right back in it. Remember when you used to, like, wake up from a dream and grab your pen and paper and jot everything down so you wouldn’t forget? That’s what I do. But I type so much, I’ve kind of forgotten how to write. It’s just easier to type. These nimble fingers of mine. (laughs) Oh, poor 21^st century children.

My dreams are so revealing like oracles. My ancestors are telling me things when my conscious mind shuts down so that I can hear what they’re saying. I have so much ethereal guidance. I’m so blessed. Those blessings come to life in the projects and with the formation of this organization.

Q. You sound surprised by your success. What did you expect?

I… I didn't expect anything. I mean, not this, and I have a feeling that this is only the beginning… I’m just so excited about the future! Like I’ve said, I just wanted to have a little fun, be happy. That’s my criteria for life: be happy and learn stuff. I started the site to keep up with my friends’ careers, and to vent a little rage in my articles which I think are funny and insightful. I like to write, so I wrote those few beginning articles just for my amusement. I had no idea that it would catch on like this. It’s a little overwhelming actually. I mean, once I realized that people were paying attention, I kinda straightened my back a little and got more serious. But, the concept has been steady the whole time. I want the world to recognize these great musicians in addition to, not in spite of, the color of their skin and I’m doing that with new tactics and strategies. It was really a surprise when so many people identified with MHS. I got emails like “you’re so courageous!” or like “that’s so revolutionary” or something to that effect. But you know, it’s like we were all thinking it and their thoughts and vibes and energy made its way to me to be that outlet. I’m just a vessel, as they say.

Q. Do you allow whites to join?

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No. 1 : Bravissima--continue the good fight!

You continue to inspire and impress me. So glad to have a kindred spirit in my arsenal of classical music friends. You're a true one-two punch between the eyes of the status quo of the classical music community, its news and info. Keep on pressing toward the high calling and continue the good fight of faith...faith in all musicians of color--that we are equally talented and can offer a glorious variety to the usual classical music diet.

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Submitted by Guest User • 2007-09-13 14:21:37