Sometimes the most exciting discoveries are waiting to be made right in your own backyard. That was certainly the case with the Newberry Consort, a nationally known early-music ensemble in Chicago, and the little-known music of 17th-century Mexican composer Juan de Lienas.

I have a vivid memory of my parents taking me to see Midori perform at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor, MI. I was about 9 years old, and a group of local Suzuki violin students went to see this prodigy, who had already catapulted to international fame by the time she was our age. When we saw her, she couldn’t have been more than 17. I was completely captivated by her mastery of the violin: a universe away from my clumsy half-hours of begrudging, required practice of the simplified classical tunes in my Suzuki violin book. I remember her playing the Beethoven concerto and wishing she would play the Tchaikovsky, my favorite. I also remember the white people around me criticizing her playing. They wondered aloud about the emotional and expressive depths of her artistry and more than one white concertgoer in my earshot described her playing as “robotic”.

Monthly conversations (second Wednesdays) for EMA members on examining the ways in which racism operates, recognizing our roles, and committing to change. Facilitated by IDEA task force members Patricia Ann Neely and Gus Denhard.

Scott August, NM

Cathy Barbash, NY

Luke Burrell, MA

Julia Connor, MA

Scott Dettra, TX

Brigitte Doss-Johnson, CA

Theo Fantozzi, PA

Martha J Fleischman, NY

Daniel J Foley, VA

Teddie Hwang, Germany

Andrew J Ivarson, NY

Victoria Klaunig, TX

Amy Leonard, PA

Shelby Erin Mass, IN

Jeana Melilli, MI

Joseph Monticello, FL

Liamna Pestana, NY

Andrew Schultz, CA

Bronwyn Thies-Thompson, QC