The English Touring Opera (ETO) has fired half of its musicians in order to increase “diversity”. This is yet another example which shows that being “diverse” in new-speak implies not being diverse because it excludes whites.
Those affected are 14 white people aged 40 to 66 years, the Daily Mailreported . They were informed that they would not receive any new contracts for the new season from spring 2022.
“English Touring Opera is committed to promoting all kinds of diversity in their team, and while there has been tangible, steady progress on stage in this area, we have prioritized greater diversity in the orchestra. This is in line with the strict requirements of the Arts Council, the main financier of the ETO’s touring activities, and most of the foundation funds that support the ETO,” the paper quoted from the letter from Director James Conway to the musicians concerned.
There are no more white musicians in the ETO
The musicians are officially freelancers who can be fired season after season. But some have played for the ETO for 20 years.
The musicians’ union condemned the measure. It was “horrified” by the move according to the Daily Mail. Artists said after the lockdowns they were hoping to get back to work next spring to pay off debts accumulated during the pandemic.
There are currently no non-white musicians in the orchestra, which is scheduled to resume concerts in the coming month.
What about ‘diverse’ audiences?
Audiences at live classical music concerts in both the UK and US remain predominantly well-educated, older and white.
Music lovers should support the idea of a “diverse” audience too, one musician told FWM on condition of anonymity. It means that paying white audiences should no longer buy tickets to hear an orchestra seeking to exclude whites in order to be “diverse”.
https://freewestmedia.com/2021/09/15/more-diversity-english-opera-company-fires-white-musicians/