A couple weeks ago, I had the great privilege of beginning my term serving on the Chamber Music America Board of Directors. Chamber Music America is a national organization serving all performers, composers, and administrators working in the field of chamber music. It has been a national leader in incorporating IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access) principles into this work and has set the bar necessarily high to move towards a brighter and more just future in our field.
This is a board that is filled with visionaries from every music discipline together with professionals working outside the field but immersed in musical life who also represent the beautifully diverse tapestry of faces, stories, and histories that create the richness of our country and our MUSIC. I never dreamed that an organization like this could exist when I was a college student, but with the leadership of Margaret Lioi, it has come into being. I believe the work that will follow will continue to impact the field for good for generations to come.
Here is a powerful Statement by the Board of Directors that was sent to the membership earlier this year. To hear the voices of those who have been marginalized for centuries is not only an obligation for our field today, it’s an honor that needs to be upheld. I can’t wait to continue this work with my colleagues on the board and to look towards a promising future for the sake of the sustainability and relevance of our field and most importantly, for the sake of our art.