In the fall of 2009, Classical Singer magazine asked its readers to participate in a survey about discrimination. In its undertaking of this survey, Classical Singer simply set out to discover readers’ opinions and experiences that pertain to discrimination: in particular, of African-Americans in music careers. Respondents were very generous with their comments and candid about their experiences with many different types of discrimination (included here as anonymous quotes).
Many people felt discrimination is really no longer an issue, and that we shouldn’t need to even be asking these types of questions. While others were grateful for the opportunity to share their opinions and specific incidents that illustrate how we may not be as well beyond discrimination as we might hope:
“It’s a shame that this survey is even taking place. It means we have made very little progress in recognizing that talent has many colors and sizes.”
Whose Opinions Are These?
A snapshot of the average respondent to our survey looks like this: an American, Caucasian, soprano, opera soloist between the ages of 21 and 30. This respondent sings fewer than 10 engagements a year, deriving only some of her income from singing. She feels the climate for African-American artists in the arts today, though improving, is somewhat worse than for non-African-Americans. This U.S. resident feels that the current climate for African-Americans in the American music scene is good and that discrimination is not as widespread today as it was 5-10 years ago. She has not personally witnessed discriminatory acts or attitudes regarding African-Americans of music-related professions, but she has witnessed discriminatory acts or attitudes directed against artists who are overweight.
Widening our view beyond the average response reveals a better picture of the whole story. Survey respondents reported their heritage as Caucasians (63 percent), Africans/African-Americans/African-Canadians (22 percent), Hispanics (5 percent), Asians/Asian-Americans (2 percent), mixed-races (3 percent), and scant representation by Native Americans, Haitians, Italians, Arabs, Armenians, Southern Europeans, Jews, and Scots.
The largest professional groups represented in this survey are singers (93 percent) and teachers (59 percent), followed by arts administrators (14 percent) and coach/accompanists (9 percent). Almost half (48 percent) identify themselves as opera soloists, church/synagogue/professional chorus singers (47 percent), and concert soloists (47 percent), and many (21 percent) are opera choristers. The majority of respondents (65 percent) are over the age of 30.
Thirty-five percent of respondents have witnessed discriminatory acts or attitudes regarding African-Americans (men and women in equal numbers) of music-related professions, and 25 percent say they, themselves, have been the target of racially based discriminatory acts or attitudes.
“The tendency [here] in Europe has been, until recently, somewhat more direct than in the U.S. Here, I’ve been told to my face that I was not hired because they weren’t interested in hiring a black singer for a particular role or Fest position. In the U.S., the tendency is to make as if something is wrong with the artist in order to justify not hiring you.”
Of those who said they had been targets of discrimination, 65 percent identify as African-American. Respondents of Caucasian, Hispanic, Asian-American, Arabic, Armenian, Samoan, Haitian, Native-American, and Japanese heritage comprise the remaining 35 percent. Those who witnessed discrimination reported overwhelmingly that the victim was a solo singer (76 percent), with choristers coming in a distant second at 9 percent, followed by conductors/directors at 6 percent. The most prevalent type of perceived discrimination involves casting decisions based on racial classification (37 percent).
One African-American competition winner shared her experience. Part of her prize included a principle role in an opera. She expected to sing the role of Violetta (which she had already performed) in La traviata, but was told that the company did not hire “color-blindly.” Instead, she was offered an ensemble role in a tour of an “all-black” opera.
More easily defined as traditionally discriminatory practice is the limiting of opportunities afforded to African-American artists, observed in 29 percent of cases. Negative comments regarding African-Americans because of their race occupied 15 percent of complaints, followed by racial epithets directed against African-American artists (9 percent). Often, actions speak louder than words. An African-American opera chorister related experiences of white performers who would not interact with her on stage in group scenes and a college scene partner, a young white male, who refused to rehearse with her.
“I have heard derogatory remarks made about African-American tenors—that the public is averse to seeing them in lead roles or romantic leads with white women.”
Some of the reported incidences of discrimination against African-Americans included attempts to discredit the talent of singers, to belittle singers in front of others, as well as discouragement of African-American singers in the pursuit of classical music.
“As a black singer, I have been told by directors, conductors, teachers, and other performers that my opportunities are limited because of my race. While it is much more ‘in your face’ in the musical theatre world, it is quite prevalent in the opera world as well.”
One recurring theme among comments was that opera roles for African-American singers are very limited.
“There are a lot of African-American singers out there with fantastic instruments but [who] sometimes don’t get the same opportunities. The opera companies come running to African-Americans to sing Porgy and Bess because that opera gets them in the black. However, they seem to forget about us for other operas that are typically sung by whites.”
Who Are the Discriminators?
Of those readers who reported having witnessed discrimination, 31 percent say the perpetrators were American artists of races other than African-American, 15 percent point to foreign-born artists or individuals, and 11 percent say they were committed by African-American artists.
Directors lead the list of discriminators (24 percent), followed by conductors (18 percent), administrators for colleges or conservatories (17 percent) and voice teachers (14 percent).
“There is a professor at my university who only gives repertoire by black composers to his African-American students. He has stated in many ways that classical music is challenging for African-Americans.”
While many people cited instances of discrimination against artists based on race, some also commented that they felt there was occasionally preferential treatment for non-white artists.
“Only once have I been cast because I am a Native American, and they told us upfront that they were striving for ‘diversity.’ I have, however, been told that it helps my career to have Native American ancestry. I don’t believe in putting people into boxes for any reason, but I cannot turn down work because someone prefers to hire a minority.”
Other Types of Discrimination
A majority of respondents (68 percent) have witnessed discriminatory acts or attitudes directed against artists who are overweight.
“I personally know of artists who were well suited to roles for which they were auditioning, only to be rejected for artists with leaner physiques who were not as [well] suited for those roles. In each case, the larger-sized artist was a more compelling singing actor than his or her counterpart who was hired.”
Fifty-four percent said they have witnessed discrimination toward “older artists.”
“It seems to me that if a singer has the appropriate voice, look, [and] acting ability for a role, then age should bear no weight as to whether or not a singer is hired for said role. I believe it completely irrelevant to ask a singer’s age and cannot comprehend why this slight has been allowed.”
Other groups ranking high in witnessed discrimination include homosexuals (29 percent of respondents), women (28 percent), and Asians or Asian-Americans (27 percent).
“I worked directly with a Choral Director who clearly did not enjoy associating with women, and treated the women in the chorus with barely concealed disgust much of the time, despite being otherwise a lovable and respected man. Any show of powerfulness from a woman was most clearly unwelcome to this director.
. . . Only once was a woman assistant allowed to conduct the choir, and she was a prodigy it would have been hard to entirely deny.”
On issues involving homosexuality, respondents reported discrimination on all sides.
“I personally experienced intolerance and angry outbursts recently from colleagues because of my traditional views of marriage and conservative religious stance on the Prop 8 debate.”
“I have known homosexuals denied jobs and some who have lost teaching positions based on their homosexuality.”
“Most prevalent is discrimination against straight men by gay directors, conductors, [or] teachers.”
“There often seem to be two ‘camps’ in an opera cast: the gays and people like me who have no problem with them, and the self-righteous (usually older) group that thinks gay people are ‘disgusting.’ Those people really need to get out of show business all together.”
How Far Have We Come?
“If we are to be champions of the highest values, as I believe artists and musicians are, we cannot perpetuate any discriminatory practice on the basis of race, creed, sexuality, age, or size.”
Most respondents (52 percent) feel that discrimination against African-Americans is not as widespread today as it was 5-10 years ago, while the majority of remaining respondents are split between those who feel that such discrimination is just as widespread today (25 percent) and those who don’t feel that it exists in the industry at all today (a full 20 percent of respondents of diverse heritage).
“As a young man, there were excellent African-American singers of great talent. Price, Bumbry, Arroyo were having very long and very successful careers. Though there were far fewer successful men of color, it was enough to believe a career was possible, for me, because of the presence of these wonderful women singers.”
Quite a few people made the observation that opera companies have changed their casting criteria, as they strive to appeal to a wider audience.
“The U.S. preoccupation with youth and physical norms is stunting the growth of real artistry. Opera companies use mottoes like ‘Opera you like to see’ and believe the visual more important than the aural. Then we wonder where all the great artists and big voices have gone.”
How Far Yet to Go?
From one opera company to another, opinions range from the idea that the best singer should perform the role regardless of visual aesthetics to the idea that the performers must “look the part.” Knowing where an opera company stands on this spectrum from “prima la voce” to “believability” can help a singer decide if it’s worth the audition trip or not.
“I was told by a coach at [a respected opera company that] if I could not fit into an existing costume, the company would put someone of lesser talent on the stage who could. Is this discrimination or honesty? The person who made the statement was not being discriminatory, they were being honest.”
With opera occupying such a large part of classical singers’ lives, it is important to tread carefully the fine line between discrimination and the necessities of casting. In the selection of participants in an art form that requires singers to pretend to be other people, individuals will be judged on their appropriateness of meeting the needs of a production. Discrimination rears its ugly head when individuals are being prejudged based on their association with a certain group or on attributes that are irrelevant to the requirements of achieving the artistic vision of the production. It is also possible that we need some new visions for opera in the twenty-first century.
“In terms of the opera world, we are all being stereotyped in some way. Families in certain operas aren’t cast solely based on just voice type, but also on how related they look to one another. I’ve personally been cast with people who weren’t my certain ethnicity, however we had similar pigmentation. Sometimes we just have to accept that authenticity is the overriding path.”
How to Proceed
This report is by no means exhaustive. Contributors were also concerned about incidents of discrimination on the basis of gender, religious and political views, and voice size. They reported unfair treatment of artists who were younger, underweight, short, tall, pregnant, single parents, or married, as well as because they had a criminal background or they belonged to a particular racial or cultural group.
“Hispanic singers are usually relegated to small roles and usually ignored. We are not even welcome in the average American small companies. We’re not even mentioned in your survey. Is it that we don’t exist? Some Hispanic singers have the best voices out there. Why don’t we get the chance that we deserve?”
Whether or not you participated in this survey, and regardless of your opinions on the topic, learning what others are thinking and experiencing can be very useful information as you participate in the field of music, in the U.S. or abroad, as a performer, administrator, or patron—to be aware of potential difficulties you may not have known existed or to help change things for the better, however you personally can.
“I think that mostly discrimination takes place in the course of casting—and not in terms of offensive acts in the creative process. I think as the cultural acceptance of different races improves, audiences are more willing to see racially diverse casts, and less discrimination occurs.”
“What I can say is because of my heritage and who I have been raised to become, I will continue to strive to give my best and to honor all those who came before me and those I hope to inspire along the way.”
After sharing so many readers’ voices, I’d like to leave you with a thought from renowned American contralto Marian Anderson, as you reflect on your own role in the grand scheme of this topic in this field:
“There are many persons ready to do what is right because in their hearts they know it is right. But they hesitate, waiting for the other fellow to make the first move—and he, in turn, waits for you.”
