The Du Bois Orchestra is a

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

-based symphony orchestra dedicated to the promotion and performance of

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

in the context of diversity. The orchestra was founded in 2015 by Harvard graduate students Karen Cueva and Kai Johannes Polzhofer as the Du Bois Orchestra at Harvard to engage with topics of social inclusion, equity, and justice through classical music. The orchestra was named after

W.E.B. Du Bois William Edward Burghardt Du Bois ( ; February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an American-Ghanaian sociologist, socialist, historian, and Pan-Africanist civil rights activist. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up in ...

, who was the first African American to receive a Ph.D. from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. Polzhofer served as the orchestra’s first conductor from 2015-17. During this time the orchestra regularly presented moderated concerts with music of composers from globally and historically underrepresented, disenfranchised racial, ethnic, and cultural groups in dialogue with the canonic classical symphonic repertoire. Members were taken from the local music community, especially students and faculty members from

Longy School of Music Longy School of Music of Bard College is a private music school in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1915 as the Longy School of Music, it was one of the four independent degree-granting music schools in the Boston region along with the New E ...

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

, and

New England Conservatory The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The conservatory is located on Hu ...

. The Du Bois Orchestra found its home at University Lutheran Church, a community active in primarily volunteer public service as well as hosting the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter. In March 2017 the orchestra was invited to take part in the congregation's official event declaring University Lutheran Church a Sanctuary Church and to perform symphonies of Joseph Boulogne. The Du Bois Orchestra additionally organized regularly educational and community engagement projects for children and young people in cooperation with institutions like the

Harvard Graduate School of Education The Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) is the education school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1920, it was the first school to grant the EdD degree and the first Harvard school ...

, New York City-based

Sistema AFK Sistema PAO is a large Russian conglomerate company, founded by Vladimir Yevtushenkov, who was chairman of the corporation's board of directors until 2022. In April, Yevtushenkov's shareholding in Sistema has decreased to 49.2%, and he also ...

style Opportunity Music Project, the W.E.B. Du Bois Graduate Society Harvard, and

Massachusetts Department of Youth Services The Massachusetts Department of Youth Services (DYS) is a state agency of Massachusetts. Its Administrative Office is headquartered in 600 Washington Street Boston. The agency operates the state's juvenile justice services. The DYS regions are the ...

. Under its second conductor, Nathaniel Meyer (2017-20), the orchestra developed into an independent professional orchestra, deepened the repertoire of neglected US-American music, rediscovered and gave in 2018 the world-premiere of

Florence Price Florence Beatrice Price (née Smith; April 9, 1887 – June 3, 1953) was an American classical music, classical composer, pianist, organist and music teacher. Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Price was educated at the New England Conservatory of Mus ...

’s " Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight". In 2021 the Du Bois Orchestra announced for the new leadership team Joe LaRocca (executive director) and Dominique Hoskin (artistic director and conductor). The orchestra is supported by the Cambridge Arts Council for Art for Racial Justice.

References

{{reflist Symphony orchestras Musical groups from Cambridge, Massachusetts 2015 establishments in Massachusetts Orchestras based in Massachusetts Musical groups established in 2015 Organizations based in Cambridge, Massachusetts

External links

Official site