It’s not often that three conductors are in the same room – virtual or otherwise. But 2020 isn’t a typical year.

With COVID-related closures orchestras are facing their largest existential crisis ever. Through World Wars, pandemics, and other worldwide crisis moments in the past, concert halls have stayed open. Now, while some groups have taken advantage of digital formats and chamber music at safe distances, others have cancelled entire seasons.

At the same time orchestras were not exempt from America’s reckoning over racial injustice, on the heels of the #MeToo movement’s call out of many of the classical world’s biggest names. Now, with reopening on the horizon, institutions are promising a healthier environment going forward. To learn what that can look like we assembled three of the superheroes of conducting, whose ensembles all have reputations of walking the walk: JoAnn Falletta, Jeri Lynne Johnson, and Mei-Ann Chen.

The full conversation can be found here.

A transcript of the episode is available here: CS 34 Transcript.