philip copeland

Fascinating news from the Old South – from the Marietta Daily Journal:

Who knew that the most important qualification for performing onstage with The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra was not one’s musical expertise, but the color of one’s skin?

 

Who knew that the defining characteristic of its performances was not the sound it produces, but the complexions of those who grace its stage?

 

Indeed, who knew that those who run the Orchestra were so enslaved by political correctness?

The pink slip came not because they couldn’t sing well enough and not because they couldn’t handle the material, but because of their complexions. Or in other words, because they were too pale. The student bodies at the two schools are each more than 75 percent white, a fact no doubt reflected in the makeup of the two choruses as well. The two public schools do not pick and choose who attends, but offer education to one and all. Their student bodies, for better or worse (definitely worse, in the eyes of the ASO), are reflective of the neighborhoods they serve.  

‘We want the stages of the Atlanta Symphony, whether here, Verizon (Wireless Amphitheatre), or Chastain Park to reflect the diversity of Atlanta,’ ASO President Stanley Romanstein told WSBTV. The move has sparked criticism in Atlanta, with some local residents, including African-Americans, decrying it as discriminatory and unfair toward students at the two high schools. Romanstein said he was surprised by the reaction.