Next Saturday, October 14, an orchestra will give the inaugural concert of its first established season. The Obiora Ensemble, born from diversity, will be on stage at the Salle Pierre-Mercure under the direction of Venezuelan conductor Glass Marcano. Allison Migeon, co-founder of Obiora, speaks with The duty.
The discussion leading to the creation of Obiora was initiated by Allison Migeon and double bassist Brandyn Lewis, “him as a professional musician, me as a cultural worker, in classical music,” explains the co-founder. The adventure was born from an observation and question: “We always asked ourselves the question of why there was so little representation of diversity in classical music. We were trying to understand, because as the audition systems are blind, we knew that it didn’t come from that. »
A proper audition, in order to fill vacant positions in an orchestra, takes place behind a screen in order to eliminate any bias, not only for questions of prejudice, but in case a professor is called upon to rule on a student or ex-student, or to avoid favoring a musician who has already played as a substitute in the orchestra over candidates from outside.
Self-exclusion
So the question remains: “What makes there so few racialized people, other than people of Asian origin, on stage?” » Allison Migeon and Brandyn Lewis weren’t the only ones asking the question. “As we met people from our circle and other cultural workers, we saw that the subject often came up in discussions,” reveals M.me Migeon. The reflection broadened through contact with musicians from other provinces, for example Tanya Charles Iveniuk, who has since become concertmaster of Obiora. “And much older musicians were already asking themselves the question 20 or 30 years ago…”
By visiting the various cultural communities, a conclusion emerged: “The fact of working in classical music did not even enter into the thought patterns. The musicians don’t have the impression that this can be their world, that they are legitimate there. We asked ourselves questions about this divide. »
And Allison Migeon specifies: “We encountered cases of people who abandoned classical music because, unconsciously or not, those around them made them understand that it was not for them, because no one looked like them in this environment. . We meet a lot of adults who tell us: “I didn’t persevere because I had the impression that it wasn’t my world.” Sometimes it’s unconscious. »
As surprising as it may seem, this pattern would be identical to the public. “We have people who have always listened to classical music at home, but have never gone to a classical music concert,” says the co-founder of Obiora.
Obiora therefore prides himself on being able to generate a new audience for classical music. “Our audience is overwhelmingly these people who love classical music but don’t feel comfortable going to see a classical music concert. For them, it’s difficult to return to the Maison symphonique, for example. They tell us: “This is the first time I can go there, because there are people who look like me”. »
So, when Obiora plays during the OSM Classical Spree, this audience follows. We also find it when the Montreal Classical Orchestra programs Haitian opera The Flambeau by David Bontemps. “I was there and they made the trip for the singers,” Allison Migeon tells us.
The summary of this equation would therefore be: if we have people on stage who can resemble those in the room, we will have another audience in the room. “I think it helps a lot,” agrees Allison Migeon.
Rapid growth
The orchestra was formed after the first pandemic wave, in the summer of 2021. During the selection, Allison Migeon and Brandyn Lewis wanted to “emphasize musicians from different cultural communities”, but without “ favor one musician over another. “The important thing is to have a good level: musicians who are not culturally diverse are part of our ensemble because they are attached to our mission. It is certain that the majority of our musicians are part of various cultural communities, but we try to be as inclusive as possible and it is the same thing at the level of our board of directors. »
The founders of Obiora looked for their musicians in Quebec and Ontario. “Social media and word of mouth have helped us a lot. We also now receive a lot of spontaneous applications,” Allison Migeon tells us. The most difficult positions to fill were the brass, the most easily filled were the strings.
Obiora’s first concert took place on August 28, 2021 with a program including “three Afro-descendant composers and the Serenade by Tchaikovsky. The project was modest at the beginning. “We wanted to do a concert, a small project after the pandemic. But we were very lucky, because we were contacted by the National Arts Center which included us in its summer artistic residency program and were therefore able to subsidize our first concert. It was a springboard for us. Then, we continued with concerts for the Conseil des arts de Montréal and were invited to a few festivals. »
Allison Migeon sees the first invitation to the OSM Classical Spree in 2022 as a “big trigger”. “Rafael Payare understands why we created this ensemble and wanted to support us. The OSM team came to see our concerts, saw the Virée as a way to support us and we were lucky to have this collaboration. »
This mark of confidence has snowballed. “We were approached by various organizations: the SMCQ, Ottawa Chamberfest…” Then came a re-invitation to the 2023 Classical Spree.
A prominent chef
Faced with these growing requests, the question of a possible musical season in Montreal arose. “After our first participation in the Virée, we were already asked: “Are you going to do a season?” We took our time, because we are a team of two people, three now. We wanted to do things well, working with guest chefs. We had time to think about all this and we said to ourselves: “Let’s get started!” »
The sinews of war, money, for the moment comes almost exclusively from public support. “The Arts Councils supported us to the fullest. We came up with something very planned to convince them. The private side is more difficult. We are a young group, we have to prove ourselves; our contacts tell us: “As long as there is not another foundation, another sponsor, we are afraid to get started”. »
The inaugural concert on October 14 will feature, at the head of the musicians, Glass Marcano. The chef 28-year-old Venezuelan, who will also conduct the Orchester Métropolitain a little later this season, is one of the revelations of the first competition “ The Maestra » from the Philharmonie de Paris in 2020.
“I wanted us to work with her,” says Allison Migeon. We have been following her since “La Maestra”. At first, we didn’t know if she would be interested, but she was immediately hooked on the idea. She knows the issues and for her it was obvious. We didn’t have to convince her. It was enough to explain the mission of the whole and it was a big: “Yes”. »
The inaugural concert will allow Obiora to be heard in Couperin’s tomb by Ravel, the Violin Concerto No. 1 by Florence Price and Variations on a Haydn Theme by Johannes Brahms. “It was the choice of our artistic director Brandyn Lewis.” Obiora’s objective is in particular to highlight works of diversity “but as our audience rarely goes to classical music concerts, we find it very interesting to include more traditional pieces. That said, the Violin Concertoo 1 by Florence Price has, I think, never been performed in Canada,” specifies the general director of Obiora.
Obiora’s season will include four concerts, a number chosen according to the budget and the available forces: “We didn’t want to do too many concerts. So “only” four, but beautiful concerts, well worked and well organized. »