Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ Anti-Colonial, Cross-Cultural criticism, Culture, Decolonialism, Diversity, Global Music, History, Nationalism, Orchestra Reform, Orchestras, Post-Colonialism, Research, World Music

Orchestres anti-coloniaux : une réponse culturelle à l’impérialisme de la musique classique occidentale

So thrilled that my piece, “Anti-Colonial Orchestras: A Cultural Response to Classical Music Imperialism,” has been translated into French by Liko Imalet and Luc Le Maignan of AMECAS (Amicale des Etudiants Caribéens Africains et Sympathisants) at the Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne!

AMECAS

L’un de mes projets de recherche les plus longs consiste à retracer l’évolution des orchestres dans le monde. Pas seulement l’orchestre européen, mais tous les orchestres du monde, y compris les grands ensembles des peuples autochtones, les orchestres de personnes esclavagisées, les orchestres folkloriques d’Europe de l’Est, et plus largement les groupes que je commence à appeler les orchestres anti-coloniaux.

Les orchestres anti-coloniaux sont des orchestres qui se sont formés souvent immédiatement après les indépendances, ou bien en opposition directe à l’impérialisme culturel de la musique classique occidentale. D’une certaine manière, cela fait écho à l’objectif des orchestres folkloriques soviétiques (ainsi que des orchestres folkloriques d’autres États communistes). Mais ils diffèrent en ce que beaucoup d’entre eux n’étaient pas nécessairement des groupes parrainés par l’État ou du moins pas des groupes forcés de se former pour contrer directement l’impérialisme occidental. Cet arcticle offre un petit échantillon de certains de…

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Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ Cross-Cultural criticism, Decolonialism, Diversity, Documentary, Education, Global Music, History, Music Education, Post-Colonialism, Presentations, Projects, Research, World Music

BBC Radio 3: World of Classical

This Sunday will see the premiere broadcast of the three-part BBC Radio 3 feature, World of Classical, that I've been working on over the past year. Each episode focuses on some core themes (e.g. Music Notation) in Global music histories and makes connections between different music traditions and how those themes were approached or used. … Continue reading BBC Radio 3: World of Classical

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ Anti-Colonial, Cross-Cultural criticism, Culture, Decolonialism, Diversity, Global Music, History, Nationalism, Orchestra Reform, Orchestras, Organology, Post-Colonialism, Research, World Music

Anti-Colonial Orchestras: A Cultural Response to Classical Music Imperialism

One of my longest research projects is tracing the evolution of the orchestra. Not just the European orchestra, but all the orchestras of the world including indigenous large ensembles, slave orchestras, Soviet folk orchestras, and groups I'm starting to refer to as Anti-Colonial Orchestras. These are orchestras which formed often immediately after independence, or in … Continue reading Anti-Colonial Orchestras: A Cultural Response to Classical Music Imperialism

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ Anti-Colonial, Arts Education, Cross-Cultural criticism, Culture, Decolonialism, Diversity, Global Music, History, Music, Music Discourse, Music Education, Nationalism, Orchestras, pedagogy, Post-Colonialism, Race, Racism, Research, World Music

Slave Orchestras: Classical Gabfest Interview Transcript

Here's an edited transcript of The Classical Gabfest Podcast (Episode 10) where I was interviewed about Slave Orchestras from November 2020. I've linked relevant content/sources within the text and the podcast link for the episode has other related links listed. The interview is the third segment and starts at about minute 00:34:12 and ends at … Continue reading Slave Orchestras: Classical Gabfest Interview Transcript

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ American Classical Music History, Arts Funding, Blogging, Classical Music Crisis Crisis, Cross-Cultural criticism, Culture, Decolonialism, Education, History, Music, Music Education, Orchestra Reform, Orchestras, Organization, pedagogy, Post-Colonialism, Projects, Research

US Orchestras and Large Ensembles

The Orchestra as an institution is constantly evolving and taking many different forms all around the world, but like the White Male Classical Music Canon, we tend to only see canonical ensemble types and treat them, like the repertoire canon, as universal and neutral.

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ American Classical Music History, Arts Education, Bibliography, Classical Music Crisis Crisis, Cross-Cultural criticism, Culture, Decolonialism, Diversity, Education, History, Intersectionality, Music, Music Education, Orientalism, Post-Colonialism, Race, Racism

Colonialism, White Supremacy, and the Logic of Exclusion of Colored Bodies in Classical Music

As I'm working on this bibliography of white supremacy and colonialism in classical music, I've come to a few things that has helped me understand the logic of exclusion of colored bodies in the field. Here are a few main takeaways. 1) Sources for information about Slave Orchestras are in formerly colonized countries or mémoires … Continue reading Colonialism, White Supremacy, and the Logic of Exclusion of Colored Bodies in Classical Music

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ American Classical Music History, Arts Education, Ballet, Classical Music Crisis Crisis, Cross-Cultural criticism, Decolonialism, Economics, Education, Global Music, History, Music, Musicians, Nationalism, Operas, Orchestras, Orientalism, pedagogy, Performance Ethics, Post-Colonialism, Race, Racism, World Music

Classical Music and its Slave Orchestras

It was just five years ago that Dr. David Hunter revealed his discovery that Handel repeatedly invested in the Royal African Company, a slave trading company in Britain. A year later, Musicologist Hannah Templeton wrote that some of Leopold Mozart's patrons were likely slavers or heavily invested in plantations in the West Indies. In that … Continue reading Classical Music and its Slave Orchestras

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ American Classical Music History, Arts Education, Cello, children, Cross-Cultural criticism, Culture, Decolonialism, Diversity, Education, Local Culture, Louisville, Music, Music Education, New Albany, Post-Colonialism, Psychology, Racism, String Playing Careers

Made in Thailand: Composed in America

Last week on Monday I was over at mae's1 house helping her clean out her kitchen while we were listening to the late Suthep Wongkamhaeng2 (สุเทพ วงศ์กำแหง), one of mae's favorites. As I was drying dishes, a song came up in the playlist and mae said she used to sing it to me as a … Continue reading Made in Thailand: Composed in America

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ American Classical Music History, Arts Education, children, Cross-Cultural criticism, Culture, Decolonialism, Diversity, Education, Global Music, History, Intersectionality, Music Education, Nationalism, Orchestras, Orientalism, Post-Colonialism, Race, Racism, World Music

Diversity, Inclusive Programming, and Music Education (part 4): Immigration

This is the fourth of a nine part series about Diversity, Inclusive Programming, and Music Education. Many of the ideas and themes here build on past pieces of this series, so reading them is suggested (for series overview, visit this link. part one: Intro; part 2: Postcolonialism; part 3: Assimilation). As this piece follows up … Continue reading Diversity, Inclusive Programming, and Music Education (part 4): Immigration

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ American Classical Music History, Arts Education, children, Cross-Cultural criticism, Culture, Decolonialism, Diversity, Education, Feminism, History, Literature, Music, Music Education, Musicians, Operas, Post-Colonialism, Race, Racism, Teaching, Women's Studies, World Music

Diversity, Inclusive Programming, and Music Education (part 3): Assimilation

This is the third of a seven part series about Diversity, Inclusive Programming, and Music Education. Many of the ideas and themes here build on past pieces of this series, so reading them is suggested (for series overview, visit this link. part one: Intro; part 2: Postcolonialism). As this piece follows up on ideas brought … Continue reading Diversity, Inclusive Programming, and Music Education (part 3): Assimilation

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ Arts Education, children, Cross-Cultural criticism, Decolonialism, Diversity, Education, Global Music, Local Culture, Music, Music Education, Nationalism, Post-Colonialism, Race, Teaching, World Music

Diversity, Inclusive Programming, and Music Education (part 2): Postcolonialism

This is the second of a multi-part series about Diversity, Inclusive Programming, and Music Education (for part one, click here). As this piece follows up on ideas brought up in the previous post it's suggested you read it first. Also, as I mentioned at the conclusion of that piece, it might be useful for you … Continue reading Diversity, Inclusive Programming, and Music Education (part 2): Postcolonialism

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ Arts Education, children, Cross-Cultural criticism, Decolonialism, Diversity, Education, Global Music, Local Culture, Music, Music Education, Nationalism, Post-Colonialism, Race, Teaching, World Music

Diversity, Inclusive Programming, and Music Education (part 1)

In 2011 Tyler Thompson, a fifteen year old African American sophomore at the Oakland School for the Arts, made some waves in national and international news as a singer of songs in Mandarin. In 2004 he had already made national news for singing in a children's Chinese Opera. Here's an AP Video Piece from '11 … Continue reading Diversity, Inclusive Programming, and Music Education (part 1)

Orchestra Ethiopia
Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ American Classical Music History, Arts Education, Audiences, Cross-Cultural criticism, Decolonialism, Diversity, Education, Orchestra Reform, Orchestras, Post-Colonialism, Race, Racism

Colonialistic Diversity: Decentering Eurocentric Orchestras and Normalizing *all* Composition

As I get into the second month of #NotBeethoven tweet thread, you may have noticed a couple things. First is that I occasionally feature composers outside of the Western Art Music (WAM) tradition(s). Second, the natural consequence of this is I have to highlight Composers of Color and Non-Eurocentric Instruments and Ensembles.1 A couple of … Continue reading Colonialistic Diversity: Decentering Eurocentric Orchestras and Normalizing *all* Composition

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ American Classical Music History, Arts Education, Classical Music Crisis Crisis, Cross-Cultural criticism, Decolonialism, Diversity, Nationalism, Orchestra Reform, Orchestras, Post-Colonialism, Race, Racism, Women's Studies, World Music

White Males Orchestras and America’s Other Orchestras

A couple years ago I discovered a series of pieces title "America's Other Orchestras" at Arab America and it helped me to solidify some thoughts I've been having about how we have discussions, and the narratives we create, about Orchestras and Classical Music. These are thoughts that were percolating at least since I first wrote … Continue reading White Males Orchestras and America’s Other Orchestras

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ Classical Music Crisis Crisis, Cross-Cultural criticism, Decolonialism, Post-Colonialism

Classical Music, the Perpetual Foreigner Trope, and Colonialism

So a few days ago I started a thread on twitter about Classical Music and Colonialism. I've never done twitter thread before--never really considered using the social media platform as a way to convey more in-depth ideas. After having spent some time this past year following a few twitter users pretty faithfully and seeing how … Continue reading Classical Music, the Perpetual Foreigner Trope, and Colonialism

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ American Classical Music History, Arts Funding, Classical Music Crisis Crisis, Cross-Cultural criticism, Decolonialism, Diversity, Orchestra Reform, Orientalism, Post-Colonialism, Race, Racism, Sexism

Diversity in Classical Music vs Diversity of Classical Music

Diversity in Classical Music has been a hot topic lately, especially given the recent announcements of upcoming seasons of organizations and the pushback many are getting recently. With the introduction of the Women Composer Database and the Composer Diversity Project, therea a push for aggregating disparate lists of composers to decenter the White Male Canon … Continue reading Diversity in Classical Music vs Diversity of Classical Music

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ Classical Music Crisis Crisis, Decolonialism, Diversity, Fragmentation, Orchestra Reform, Orchestras, Post-Colonialism, Racism, Sexism

The Invisible Hand of the Great White Male Musical and Artistic Canons

In my previous post I discussed how ridiculously easy it would be to avoid the Art of Monstrous Men, and the post before that discusses how to Decolonize the Musical Mind. The past couple of days I've come across some interesting pieces about diversity in the arts (or lack thereof). The first was a piece … Continue reading The Invisible Hand of the Great White Male Musical and Artistic Canons

Jon Silpayamanant - โจนาทาน ศิลปยามานันท์ Decolonialism, Local Culture, Music, Post-Colonialism

How Easy is it to Avoid the Art of Monstrous Men?

Actually, it's ridiculously easy. I'll just stick to music, since that's what I usually focus on in this blog. And let me qualify the "ridiculously easy" by stating that I'm referring to the work of folks that may only be scratching the surface of those that remain unaccused--there may very well (and very likely) be … Continue reading How Easy is it to Avoid the Art of Monstrous Men?