William J. Kole
In this Oct. 1, 2017 photo released by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Wilkins, the BSO's youth and family concerts conductor, directs the symphony during a free outdoor concert in Franklin Park, Boston's largest green space. The Orchestra is reaching out to the city's more diverse urban neighborhoods to get a better grasp of their cultural roots and needs. (Aram Boghosian/Boston Symphony Orchestra via AP)
October 08, 2017 - 7:46 AM
BOSTON - Starting this month, the Boston Symphony Orchestra is reaching out to its host city's more diverse neighbourhoods to get a better grasp of their cultural roots and needs.
Classical music hasn't exactly catered to urban enclaves like Dorchester, Roxbury or Jamaica Plain, where you're more likely to hear Beyonce than Brahms. But the renowned orchestra says that's about to change.
The symphony's three-year "BSO in Residence" initiative sprang from a cultural study commissioned by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. Community leaders complained that predominantly black and Hispanic neighbourhoods don't have equal access to the fine arts.
It's part of a growing trend of symphonies taking it to the streets.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017