In a blind audition the identity of the performer is concealed from the judges so as to prevent

bias Bias is a disproportionate weight ''in favor of'' or ''against'' an idea or thing, usually in a way that is closed-minded, prejudicial, or unfair. Biases can be innate or learned. People may develop biases for or against an individual, a group ...

. The performance takes place behind a curtain so that the judges cannot see the performer. Blind auditions have become standard in symphony orchestras. In the 1970's, jazz bassist and clinical psychologist

Art Davis Arthur David Davis (December 6, 1934 – July 29, 2007) was a double-bassist, known for his work with Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, McCoy Tyner and Max Roach. Biography Davis was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United Stat ...

unsuccessfully filed suit against the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

for racial discrimination. Although his suit failed, his efforts been credited for helping pave the way to the current system of blind auditions for orchestras. In 1980, American trombonist

Abbie Conant Abbie Conant is an American trombonist and professor at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik, Trossingen. She was selected in a blind audition as the overwhelming first choice for Principal Trombonist of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra in 198 ...

was selected in a blind audition as the overwhelming first choice for Principal Trombonist of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, but was subsequently subjected to

sexism Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers pri ...

by the director

Sergiu Celibidache Sergiu Celibidache (; 14 August 1996) was a Romanian conductor, composer, musical theorist, and teacher. Educated in his native Romania, and later in Paris and Berlin, Celibidache's career in music spanned over five decades, including tenures ...

. His discriminatory behaviour came to light during a 12-year legal battle over the course of his tenure at the Munich Philharmonic. On his orders, she was forced to sit in the second chair and was paid less than her male colleagues on grounds of her gender. Celibidache was not invited to give testimony at the trials due to lack of substantiated criticism. The courts found in favour of Conant as Celibidache "could not justify his complaint with facts". An appeal on the decision failed, and Conant was paid the same as her male colleagues. According to a widely cited 2001 study by Cecilia Rouse of Princeton and

Claudia Goldin Claudia Goldin (born May 14, 1946) is an American economic historian and labor economist who is currently the Henry Lee Professor of Economics at Harvard University. She is a co-director of the NBER's Gender in the Economy Study Group and was th ...

of Harvard, the introduction of blind auditions to American symphony orchestras increased the probability that a woman would advance from preliminary rounds by 50 percent. Among those symphonies, "about 10 percent of orchestra members were female around 1970, compared to about 35 percent in the mid-1990s." Rouse and Goldin attribute about 30 percent of this gain to the advent of blind auditions, though they admit that their "estimates have large standard errors and at least one persistent effect in the opposite direction." In 2010, the competitive talent show ''

The Voice of Holland ''The Voice of Holland'', also known as ''TVOH'', is a Dutch reality TV singing competition, that became a near global TV format franchise, created by media tycoon John de Mol and musician Roel van Velzen, in the Netherlands airing on RTL 4. ...

'' introduced the use of blind auditions to televised talent shows; the format was then quickly franchised to dozens of other countries. Similarly, blind judging and blind jury represent the same premise of an item or person being judged solely on its own merits.

References

Performing arts Recruitment Music performance {{music-stub

See also

References