The NHSO Harmony Fellowship is a 2 year fellowship that supports underrepresented groups in classical music. For the Yale Daily News, I talked with current and past Harmony Fellows about their experiences working and playing with the New Haven Symphony Orchestra.
“Before I started my fellowship with the symphony I sent my application to a B-class orchestra in the U.S. My application got rejected immediately,” Mendez said. After becoming a Harmony Fellow, she applied for a workshop at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. With the fellowship on her resume, she was immediately given an audition. Now, she’s studying with members of the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Germany.
NHSO fellowship supports underrepresented groups in classical music
While reporting this story, I was pleasantly surprised by how much the NHSO has done to try to respond to, serve, and reflect the community of New Haven. Please check them out!
Fun Facts That Didn’t Make It Into the Article:
- The NHSO has partnered with a local zoo to bring live animals to their performances. Plans are in the works to partner with them again!
- “Underrepresented groups” are different in the different fellowship roles. For example, women are severely underrepresented in conducting roles. Only eight of the world’s top 100 conductors are women. I had no idea this was such a problem.
- Aurora was in Germany when I interviewed her at 7:40 AM. I was…in bed when she called.
- Fellows can commute in from all over the country! The fellows I talked to didn’t live in New Haven. Before Covid-19, one fellow flew in from Chicago each month.
For more information about the NHSO Harmony Fellowship, check out the New Haven Symphony Orchestra website here!
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