When was the last time you went to a concert and heard a disabled musician perform? Many of
the UK’s finest concert hall stages remain inaccessible to disabled artists and a lack of imaginative commissioning and programming means we too rarely see disabled musicians on stage. Thankfully, though, change is afoot. There is small army of instrumentalists, conductors, composers and instrument makers fighting to make the industry genuinely more accessible to professional performers. We talk to some of the pioneers of this work, putting disability in classical music on the agenda.
Whenever Britain wants to show off its finest cultural jewels, there they are, shining brightly: the UK’s symphony orchestras. Speaking from 20 years of experience playing in orchestras at home and abroad, orchestral life is pretty magical. At its best, being part of a symphony orchestra is exhilarating; the orchestra becomes your second home, your second family. However, the symphonic sector can also be a brutal one. The schedules are gruelling, and late nights and early flights are the norm. The rates of pay can make it feel like a battle for survival and ‘job security’ are not words we’re hugely familiar with! These factors alone create huge barriers for professional disabled musicians. That's why we need to advocate for disability in classical music.
How many disabled musicians are there in UK orchestras?
Statistics are scarce. A 2021 Arts Council England (ACE) study found just two per cent of musicians in ACE-funded ensembles and BBC orchestras declaring a disability. This seems an incredibly low figure when 22 per cent of the UK’s total population identify as disabled. So why the gap?
Barriers to entry for disabled musicians
Shockingly, it appears a culture of fear exists around disclosing disabilities, in case it might negatively impact a fixer’s decision to book a player. Charles Hazlewood, artistic director of Paraorchestra (an ensemble for professional disabled musicians), told me this was horribly clear after a recent round of auditions for the ensemble: ‘At least half the players we took on had never come out about their disability. They’d soldiered on, obsessed that if they let out of the bag their particular challenges or differences, their work would dry out.’
How to make orchestras more accessible for disabled musicians
Engage with performers before a project to make suitable adjustments
Awareness can be a gamechanger, as some orchestras are beginning to realise. The Aurora Orchestra, for one, has a plan in place – it has started sending an ‘Additional Needs’ document to all players before a project begins, as the orchestra’s concert manager Alana Grady told me: ‘This form gives an opportunity for players to have a dialogue with the creative team, so additional requests can be worked into the plans at an early stage.’ Reasonable adjustments might include changes to lighting in a show, adapted seating or additional help with travel arrangements. It might seem like a small step, but by simply asking players about their needs, the conversation around disability becomes open and any stigma or fear can be reduced.
Communication is crucial
Such small steps could have a big impact but more still needs to be done. ‘Orchestras need a reboot,’ Jonathan Harper, chief executive of Paraorchestra tells me. Since it blazed onto the musical scene in 2012, playing at the closing ceremony of the London Olympics with its world-class disabled musicians, Paraorchestra is now one of the UK’s most innovative and inspiring ensembles. That fact is reflected in the huge uplift in funding it received in the last round of ACE awards.
Robert Simmons, a violinist who regularly leads the ensemble, describes the people-centred approach that Paraorchestra employs. ‘There’s a much greater awareness of different peoples’ needs and a much greater emphasis on planning,’ he tells me. ‘Access information, where the lifts and level entrances are, where the parking is, hotel details are all sent in advance and even catering is provided.’ This clarity in communication and attention to every individual’s needs allow the performers to focus on music making and perform at the very top of their game.
Consider disabled musicians in the programming process
Simmons also highlights an element of Paraorchestra’s set-up that makes its work stand out. ‘Very often we do works for different instrumentations than you might normally get in a traditional symphony orchestra. We use lots of electronic instruments. There are lots of computers, laptops and machinery around the place!’ he tells me. This is a vivid reminder that for many disabled musicians, traditional symphonic instruments can be simply impossible to play. Huge strides in technology have seen instruments like Headspace, the LinnStrument and the Clarion being developed. These allow players to create complex, expressive music using assistive technology.
Be creative with commissioning
Mozart didn’t write many symphonies scored for strings and LinnStrument, or wind ensemble and Clarion... This is where bold and imaginative commissioning comes in. Composer Charlotte Harding has forged a close relationship with Paraorchestra, relishing the challenge of writing for an orchestral set-up that differs from a standard symphony orchestra. Her excitement is evident at the new possibilities of assistive technology instruments, synthesised sounds and live processing – all elements she has used in her collaborations with Paraorchestra. ‘I feel we’re only in the first five per cent of finding out what’s possible,’ she says. ‘It’s going to take time, and lots of different composers coming at it from different perspectives. I do think that in 20 or 30 years there will be a palette of orchestral writing.’
Harding insists, though, that she would never want these new compositions to replace traditional orchestral repertoire. ‘It shouldn’t be seen as either/or. It’s important it isn’t seen as a threat to classical music,’ she explains. ‘These things will coexist and carry on the orchestral tradition.’
Orchestras for disabled musicians
Along with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) and the Royal Northern Sinfonia (RNS), Paraorchestra is part of a small group of ensembles in the process of revolutionising what a symphony orchestra looks and sounds like, and helping advance the cause of disability in classical music. In 2018 BSO Resound and RNS Moves were established. BSO Resound is a disabled-led ensemble and RNS Moves is an orchestra that sees disabled and non-disabled players performing side by side.
The impact of forming these orchestras should not be underestimated. Dougie Scarfe, chief Executive of BSO, wrote to me describing how BSO Resound has changed the conversation around disability: ‘The impact has been felt nationally and internationally. BSO Resound has had a deep and lasting effect.’ The impact goes far beyond the orchestra, in particular reaching composers and the next generation of musicians. Scarfe is clearly proud to tell me: ‘In the last year the group has given premiere performances
of works by Alexander Campkin, Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian and Shirley J Thompson.’
Jonathan Harper is also keen to look to the future. Thanks to ACE’s uplift in funding, and help from other organisations, Paraorchestra will also be supporting two musicians-in-residence, and in the longer term wants to develop a ‘future leaders’ course. ‘It’s up to orchestras to make changes,’ he insists. ‘It starts with leadership. By the middle of the next decade I want to see more disabled conductors, more people who identify as disabled as artistic leaders, on boards and involved in programming. We all need to do more. We work in the arts; we’re meant to be progressive.’
Why we need to push for more
So, change is afoot for professional performers, but with only three of the UK’s orchestras visibly pushing for change and integration, yet more could be done. Let’s see orchestras opening up the conversation around disability in classical music. We should make it the norm for players to be asked, when booked, if they require any reasonable adjustments. Let’s see orchestras being brave, daring to let new instruments into their ranks and commissioning new works accordingly. Wouldn’t it be brilliant if in ten years we don’t need articles like this? If we want an orchestral sector we can be truly proud of, change is essential.
Top image: musicians from BSO Resound
