OSL’s Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Orchestra of St. Luke’s is committed to creating a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion on stage and off. We oppose all forms of racism and discrimination, systemic and individual. This requires ongoing work, understanding, analyses of root causes, and a willingness to adjust, reflect, and grow. We affirm the full humanity of all who join us in seeking the beauty, meaning, and connection essential to music making. At OSL:
Equity seeks to ensure fair treatment, equality of opportunity, and access. At Orchestra of St. Luke’s, equity means aiding in the collective effort for a more just society.
Diversity is the constellation of social identities such as: race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, religion, and disability. At Orchestra of St. Luke’s, we are committed to fostering diversity amongst our audience, students, repertoire, musicians, faculty, staff, and board.
Inclusion builds a culture of belonging by actively welcoming the contributions and participation of all people. At Orchestra of St. Luke’s, inclusion means every person will be respected and appreciated as a valuable member of the organization and the community it serves.
Co-Authored by a committee of staff, musicians, and board: Kaya Bryla-Weiss, Ama Codjoe, Angela DeGregoria, Emme Deland, Jaime Kight, Stephen Litner, Evander Louis, Melanie Punter, James Roe, Stephen Taylor
Focus on Audience, Repertoire, and Talent
Orchestra of St. Luke’s mission is accomplished not only on stage, but in the hearts, minds, and spirits of our audience. As New York City’s hometown band, we envision Audience, Repertoire and Talent as diverse as our city. We pledge to:
Audience
We will serve an audience that reflects the rich diversity of our city. We open our doors to listen, learn, invite, and build relationships that welcome all.
Repertoire
We will perform, commission, premiere, teach, broadcast, and promote work by composers traditionally underrepresented in classical music.
Talent
We will recruit, retain, and develop the finest musicians, guest artists, collaborators, administrators, and board to represent the demographic tapestry of New York City.
Recent Initiatives
- Music in Color Initiative launched in 2016 to introduce audiences to the music and lives of composers historically underrepresented in the field of classical music. From 2016 – 2021, this initiative has produced 10 concerts and performed for more than 30,000 New York City students.
- Composers of Note, launched in 2020, is designed to highlight works of new and underrepresented composers. As of the conclusion of the Spring 2021 season, the Composers of Note series has had 7 concerts, featured 27 musicians, and hosted 17,000 viewers.
- OSLive, launched in 2021, is a digital concert series offering state of the art livestreamed performances our of OSL’s home at The DiMenna Center for Classical Music and contain programs offered at a sliding scale pay structure devoted to interdisciplinary performances of living artists and curators.
- Youth Orchestra of St. Luke’s is dedicated to providing free music education the students of Hell’s Kitchen, and has enrolled over 300 students since its founding during the 2014/15 school year.
We at OSL are devoted to continuing our anti-racist education, and have implemented the following practices at our organization:
- Full-staff EDI workshops conducted throughout 2020/2021 season, led by independent consultant Ama Codjoe
- Hiring practices for staff and musicians being re-evaluated to prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion with help of external HR services, Non-Profit HR
- Governance Committee established on Board of Directors in 2021 to oversee Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion