She is growing a cosmic garden, she is one of the fates stretching a string of life before her, she is Moses parting the sea before turning to bring the waves down on Pharaoh. These are some of the lines I wrote in my notebook during a Dallas Symphony Orchestra performance almost a year ago as I sat spellbound by the conductor.
Though contemporary classical is my favorite genre of music, I didn’t leave my house expecting a spiritual experience on a date night. My tears surprised me—and then, looking around, I saw few faces like mine. Perhaps this paucity of black and brown attendees was unique to my experience that single night, but it’s doubtful. Even onstage, the symphony fails to attract much diversity: according to the League of American Orchestras, black and Latinx musicians comprise only 2 and 2.5 percent, respectively, of U.S. orchestras.
If you’ve hung out in the Dallas art scene for any length of time, you’ve probably heard the phrase “That’s so Dallas.” In this context, the expression refers to the way businesses and institutions in the city fail to engage local communities.
