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SongWorking

The musician will not be classified

Hands and Brains

September 29, 2016 by Alexander Laing 10 Comments

Some months ago I attended a series of meetings hosted by the Mellon Foundation and The League of American Orchestras. The meetings were focused on how professional American orchestras might get more musicians from 'underrepresented communities' into their ensembles. For the purposes of the gathering at least, Black and Latino musicians were a primary focus. Going into the … [Read more...]

Witnessing

September 27, 2016 by Alexander Laing Leave a Comment

When you think about it, the majority of my practice as an orchestral musician is witnessed. My performance practice (concerts) happen in public. Sometimes my rehearsal practice - as part of the ensemble - is open to the public. Even when its not, it’s always witnessed by my colleagues. Even most of my solo practice is witnessed - by my family. Before that, by my roommates. … [Read more...]

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Alexander Laing

Alex Laing began studying the clarinet at age 11 in his hometown of Silver Spring, MD. In 2002 he joined the Phoenix Symphony as principal clarinet. A longtime believer in community engaged music making, Alex recently started The Leading Tone, a non profit, after school project dedicated to exploring music as a context for youth development. A graduate of Northwestern University, he received his master's degree in Orchestral Performance from the Manhattan School of Music, an artist's … ... [more]

SongWorking

At our best, orchestras move in ensemble like a school of fish. We use sound to unfold stories. We are an amazing display of human coordination. In that human coordination show I am a clarinetist. Of course, orchestral musicians are more than just our instruments. I’m also an artist, a biracial Black man, a person interested in organizational design and culture, culture writ large, symbols and meaning. The list could go on for a while without getting personal. I think orchestras will develop … ... [more]

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