A Call to Action and Resources to Center BIPOC Voices in the Opera Industry

Black Lives Matter.

For too long, the opera industry has participated in violence towards BIPOC.

Blackface, brownface, and yellowface are common occurrences even at the highest levels of our art form.

Singers of color are too often only used as performative tokenism, their pain is used for profit, and their voices are relegated to the margins.

Enough.

These horrible practices must stop, and we must take a close look at the way our industry has participated in systemic racism. And then we must change.

This work begins with us, as individual artists, and as artistic institutions.

We must do our homework, listen to and amplify the voices of those who have been marginalized.

To that end, can we make a commitment to ensuring that at least 50% of our programming has been composed or written by BIPOC and/or women in the coming seasons?

Can we call on our opera companies, church music programs, and other artistic institutions to do the same?

We think we can, and we’re certain that we should.

Below you will find links to resources to get you started, as well as links to additional resources that were mentioned in Episode 15 that relate to this issue.

Let’s be the change that we want to see.

Repertoire Resources

Advocacy/Educational Instagram Accounts to Follow