Weston Sprott is a prominent leader, performer, and educator in classical music. He is Dean and Director of the Preparatory Division at The Juilliard School, a Co-Founder of the Black Orchestral Network, and a trombonist in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.
$50 Million Gift to Juilliard Targets Racial Disparities in Music.
The renowned conservatory will use a grant from a California foundation to expand a training program focused largely on Black and Latino schoolchildren.
Weston Sprott, who helps oversee the program as dean of Juilliard’s preparatory division, said being a musician of color was too often a lonely experience, and that ensembles should better reflect the diversity of their communities.
Newly Endowed Fund to Support Eight to Ten New Works of Music Annually From a Diverse and Inclusive Slate of Composers
The commissions, which will include orchestral, solo, and chamber compositions, offer opportunities for collaboration with other organizations, institutions, and/or internally across Juilliard’s departments and disciplines. Composers are selected through a thoughtful process guided by Pre-College faculty members and administrators.
As in Any Other Field, Black Orchestral Musicians Are Held Back by Racism.
When trombonist Weston Sprott joined the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in 2005, he was one of the only Black members of that prestigious ensemble. Today, after years of personal advocacy and a society-wide racial reckoning, he can still count his Black colleagues on two fingers.
So, in terms of diversity at his own workplace, he hasn’t seen a lot of progress over the past 18 years. “None, actually,” he said. “Zero.”