Urban Playground Chamber Orchestra

Urban Playground was formed out of the urge to develop a distinctively 21st century orchestra: Collaboration amongst artists from disparate backgrounds and experiences with respect to genre, and working in non-traditional venues. That changed when Eric Garner was killed by New York City police on July 17, 2014. The orchestra felt that there had to be a musical response to the broader national conversations regarding police brutality and systems of oppression. Rather than throw a gala featuring a requiem from the European tradition, or perform Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with its promise of brotherhood, Urban Playground pivoted its repertory to prioritize the works of composers of color. At the same time, it became clear that works by female composers, especially those born prior to World War II were similarly excluded from concert stages. While Urban Playground maintained its collaborative roots, the orchestra shifted to prioritizing the works of composers of color and female composers, in order to expand and enliven the classical canon. After some experimentation with combining canonical masterworks (your Handels, Sibeliuses, and Dvoraks), including works that tracked the 20th century emergence of an “American sound,” it became evident that it made more sense for us and our audience solely to perform works by composers of color and female composers. The thriving cultural institutions of New York City will always offer outstanding performances of music from the predominately white, male European tradition; Urban Playground’s mission is to broadcast that which has not been heard, and to give opportunity to new and dormant voices.