BACKNew British Documentary to Explore Racial Diversity in Classical Music
Britain’s BBC Four television network has today announced the upcoming release of a new 60 minute documentary, entitled ‘Young, Gifted and Classical’ – which will explore issues such as race, diversity and access in classical music. The programme’s Executive Producer has suggested subjects will include 17 year old ‘2016 BBC Young Musician of the Year’ cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason – the first black winner in the history of the prestigious national competition.
The programme will also follow the work of Chi-chi Nwanoku and the development of the Chineke! Orchestra – Europe’s first professional orchestra of Black & minority ethnic musicians.“I really hope this programme will inspire other young people from all backgrounds to take up classical music,” Sheku has said.“Perhaps the documentary can go somewhere towards showing that classical music should be for everyone …” the young cellist has urged.The documentary will air in Britain in November as part of the network’s ‘Black and British’ series.
Reconfinement: le classique encore prêt à se réinventer
Abattement de courte durée pour nos musiciens, ensembles, festivals, orchestres et théâtres à l’heure où la France se reconfine. Chacun semble prêt à poursuivre l’activité sans public physique, mais en ligne… à condition que les ouvertures de lieux, et surtout les financements, soient au rendez-vous.
On pouvait craindre le découragement d’artistes, administratifs et techniciens épuisés par la mise en œuvre, à la rentrée, de protocoles de travail et d’accueil qui ont fait des salles de spectacles un modèle de sécurité sanitaire reconnu au plus haut niveau de l’Etat. S’attendre à un profond sentiment d’injustice de ne pas bénéficier à ce titre d’un régime dérogatoire au reconfinement – la maire de Paris, Anne Hidalgo, a d’ailleurs plaidé pour que les établissements culturels restent autorisés à ouvrir et accueillir le public. S’ils n’excluent pas de formuler cette demande dans les semaines qui viennent, en fonction de l’évolution de l’épidémie, les professionnels du secteur musical classique n’en font toutefois pas une priorité. Ils témoignent plutôt d’un mélange de résignation et de réalisme face aux annonces du président de la République mercredi 28 octobre et du Premier ministre le lendemain.
»Lockdown 2: the classic still ready to reinvent itself
Short-term accommodation for our musicians, ensembles, festivals, orchestras and theatres at a time when France is reconfirming itself. Everyone seems ready to continue the activity without a physical public, but online… provided that the opening of venues, and especially the financing, are there.
One could fear the discouragement of exhausted artists, administrators and technicians by the implementation, at the beginning of the school year, of working and reception protocols that have made theatres a model of health safety recognised at the highest level of the State. Expecting a deep sense of injustice not to benefit from a regime that derogates from reconfinement – the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, has moreover pleaded for cultural establishments to remain authorised to open and welcome the public. While they do not rule out formulating this request in the coming weeks, depending on the evolution of the epidemic, professionals in the classical music sector are not making it a priority. Rather, they show a mixture of resignation and realism in the face of the announcements made by the President of the Republic on Wednesday 28 October and the Prime Minister the following day.
Grütters fordert großzügige Hilfen
Die Kulturstaatsministerin Monika Grütters fordert vor der Sitzung des Corona-Kabinetts der Bundesregierung an diesem Montag großzügige und effiziente Hilfen für die Kulturszene. Es müsse „mindestens in dem Umfang, wie man auch anderen Branchen hilft“ unterstützt werden, sagte die CDU-Politikerin dem Nachrichtenportal „ThePioneer“ (Montag). Sie meine nicht in erster Linie institutionell geförderte Einrichtungen, sondern beispielsweise Kinos, Galerien, Buchhandlungen, Verlage, Clubs und Live-Musik-Veranstaltungen.
Bereits am Freitag hatte sie darauf hingewiesen, dass es um die Existenz von mehr als 1,5 Millionen Menschen gehe, „die in unserem Land mehr als 100 Milliarden Euro zum Bruttoinlandsprodukt an Wertschöpfung beitragen und häufig als Soloselbstständige arbeiten“. Nun seien unbürokratische Hilfen auch eine Frage der Wertschätzung, betonte die CDU-Politikerin. Es habe den Kulturschaffenden wehgetan, „dass sie in einem Atemzug mit Freizeit und Nagelstudios genannt worden sind“.
Grütters demands generous aid
Before the meeting of the Corona Cabinet of the Federal Government this Monday, Minister of State for Culture Monika Grütters calls for generous and efficient aid for the cultural scene. It must be supported “at least to the same extent as one helps other sectors”, the CDU politician told the news portal “ThePioneer” (Monday). She did not mean primarily institutionally funded institutions, but rather, for example, cinemas, galleries, bookshops, publishing houses, clubs and live music events.
On Friday she had already pointed out that the existence of more than 1.5 million people is at stake, “who contribute more than 100 billion euros to the gross domestic product in terms of added value in our country and often work as solo self-employed persons”. The CDU politician emphasised that unbureaucratic assistance is now also a question of appreciation. She said that it hurt the cultural workers “that they were mentioned in the same breath as leisure and nail studios”.