Reflections at the Midpoint: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Philadelphia's Choral Community

Since last fall, a cohort of Philadelphia-area choruses has been coming together for a series of workshops and online learning activities exploring issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in their choruses and choral community.

The project, called "Voices of Change: Building a More Inclusive Choral Community" is facilitated by Nicole R. Robinson, Ph.D., former Associate Vice President for Equity and Diversity at the University of Utah, and the founder of education consulting company Cultural Connections by Design. The cohort has engaged in dialogue over topics including intersectionality, privilege, and systems of oppression, with the dual aims of making their own choruses more welcoming and fostering a more collaborative, inclusive Philadelphia choral community.

Robinson and a few of the Voices of Change participants reflected on what they learned during the project's second workshop, held in January, in this short video:

The Voices of Change cohort will present a session at the 2019 Chorus America Conference in Philadelphia discussing their lessons learned and thoughts on a possible framework that other choral communities can consider to explore these issues.