For decades, blind orchestral auditions have been lauded as one of the world’s fairest hiring practices. Yet the merit-based method reveals one of classical music culture’s most problematic assumptions. It comes with a host of undesirable consequences — one of which recently blew up in our faces.
The assumption in question: How you sound is all that matters.
As a result of this belief, candidates aren’t interviewed. References are not required. When you walk into an audition, you aren’t allowed to speak or wear perfume. A rogue cough can betray your gender. Best not to wear clacking heels for the same reason.
As you enter the audition room in silence, a proctor announces you by number. You then play behind a screen. As a result, the judging panel doesn’t know the first thing about you. Not your age, your race, your gender. Not your pedigree, or where you went to school. Nothing.
[ + ] TheViciousMrPim
[ - ] TheViciousMrPim 1 point 3.8 yearsSep 14, 2021 05:44:19 ago (+1/-0)
[ + ] Greased_Lightning
[ - ] Greased_Lightning [op] 1 point 3.8 yearsSep 14, 2021 10:37:58 ago (+1/-0)
The Britons wanted diversity, and now they will hopefully get what they asked for shoved up their asses.
Great Britain is doomed, but it can still serve as a deterrent example for other countries fancying with multiculturalism.
[ + ] beanbagWizard
[ - ] beanbagWizard 1 point 3.8 yearsSep 14, 2021 07:40:28 ago (+1/-0)
The first claimed the audition process should be blind to stop any preferential selection of whites
The second claimed that blind auditions were racist due to the reduction in diversity
Heh heh heh
[ + ] binrobinrro
[ - ] binrobinrro 0 points 3.8 yearsSep 14, 2021 15:45:29 ago (+0/-0)
The assumption in question: How you sound is all that matters.
As a result of this belief, candidates aren’t interviewed. References are not required. When you walk into an audition, you aren’t allowed to speak or wear perfume. A rogue cough can betray your gender. Best not to wear clacking heels for the same reason.
As you enter the audition room in silence, a proctor announces you by number. You then play behind a screen. As a result, the judging panel doesn’t know the first thing about you. Not your age, your race, your gender. Not your pedigree, or where you went to school. Nothing.