PCO is excited to form a community partnership with the Alliance of Black Orchestral Percussionists (ABOP), a non-profit that provides professional development to young and emerging Black percussionists pursuing careers in symphonic percussion. The partnership provides learning experiences and performance opportunities for Black percussionists, and supports young musicians as well as our mutual goal to diversify our concert stages. Visit ABOP at www.abop.us to learn about its mission and Mentorship Program.
Classical musicians of color rarely have colleagues who look like them. ABOP’s mission is to change the paradigm of representation in our nation’s orchestras by guiding, supporting, and empowering future generations of Black orchestral percussionists. Regardless of age, gender, socio-economic status or geographic location, ABOP’s goal is to lift Black percussionists through its Mentorship Program—a program of one-on-one instruction, workshops, and performance opportunities. ABOP’s CEO and Founder Raynor Carroll, Principal Percussionist (retired) of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, developed ABOP in 2021 with six other prominent Black percussionists and educators dedicated to change and an inclusive symphonic orchestra. ABOP’s Mentorship Program is open to Black percussionists of any age seeking training and support in pursuing a career in orchestral percussion. The Program is FREE to participants (called Protégés), including private lessons, equipment, performance opportunities, and assistance with school/job applications/festivals, and more!
PCO supports ABOP in its goal to create more inclusive orchestras, locally and nationally. Recently, three ABOP Protégés rehearsed Tchaikovsky’s Romeo & Juliet with the Orchestra, and it was as much of a thrill for them as it was for us. These invaluable learning experiences increase their knowledge of the repertoire and boost their confidence in performance. We look forward to providing more experiences for ABOP’s young Protégés, and wish them well in their education and future careers on stage.
And coming up at our March 15 concert, the Orchestra is proud to feature an ABOP Protégé, Torrance Buntyn, Jr., who will be the soloist in the contemporary Canadian composer Allen Gordon Bell’s Concerto for Percussion and Orchestra.
