Original Coverage & Source Attribution: theviolinchannel.com
The Philadelphia Orchestra has received a $10.5 million gift that will fund international cultural diplomacy efforts.
The gift comes from orchestra board member David Cohen, the former CEO of Comcast, and his wife Rhonda. In addition to efforts to represent the United States on the global musical stage, the funding will support the orchestra’s highlighting of music by composers outside the traditional canon of Western orchestral music.
Under Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the Philadelphia Orchestra has championed the music of William Grant Still and Florence Price, and their recording of Price’s symphonic works won a Grammy Award in 2022.
The Philadelphia Orchestra will shortly depart on a tour of South Korea and China, and according to Cohen, his gift is intended to support similar efforts at using music to bridge international divides.
“It’s not an accident that we’re announcing this gift on the eve of the orchestra returning to China,” says Cohen. “There’s a lot of tension in the US-China relationship, but the one thing we seem to be able to agree on is music. Music is a convener, bringing people together and bringing countries together. It’s why music can be such a powerful tool of diplomacy.”
Cohen, who formerly served as an ambassador to Canada during the presidency of Joe Biden, adds that he has witnessed music’s diplomatic power firsthand.
“There is nothing that we did during the term of my service as ambassador, with the exception of President Biden’s visit to Canada, that attracted the attention, the number of Canadians, Canadian officials, and the warm feelings from Canada to the United States as the Philadelphia Orchestra’s visit,” he says, referring to the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Canadian tour.
In addition, Cohen’s gift will endow the position of CEO, which is currently held by Ryan Fleur.
“When we travel to China, it doesn’t matter what’s happening in the political universe. We’re there to make music,” says Fleur. “But we want to be connectors when we can.”
