As a white male orchestral violinist I haven’t ever had to think about how, or even whether, I fit in a classical symphony orchestra. This is a privilege currently not afforded to all.
Throughout my life, I’ve tried to uphold principles of fairness: treating people without discrimination, offering equal opportunities, acting without fear or favour. I now realise how easily I’ve done this, having never faced barriers those principles are meant to confront. I took that ease for granted.
As musicians, we know the value of adaptability and responsiveness. We’re trained to listen, to lead, and to evolve. Orchestras, too, must be capable of growth. Nowhere is this need more urgent than in inclusive recruitment.
The 10-Point Plan, a framework for change
Paulette Bayley, Sub Principal Second Violin of the Hallé, and former Project Lead for the recruitment review, shares this idea. Her hope is that “Equitable recruitment practices as part of sector-wide EDIB strategies will eventually result in more diverse orchestras... Professional orchestras which are more inclusive will encourage young musicians from underrepresented backgrounds to feel that holding an orchestra position is a career option.”
If you're not already aware, the MU, ABO (Association of British Orchestras), and BLiM (Black Lives in Music) have worked together, with input from players and management, to create the 10-Point Plan, a practical and realistic framework for inclusive recruitment.
Roger Wilson, Co-Founder and Director of Operations at BLiM, calls the Plan “An important development... about working together to actively address structural flaws in current recruitment practice.”
You can read more about the launch of the project from the MU here.
A step-by-step approach
Recruitment practices already vary widely, not just from orchestra to orchestra, but even within the same one. For current signatories of the plan (33 orchestras and counting), implementing all 10 points will mean a significant cultural shift.
That shift can feel daunting. From my experience across the orchestral sphere as MU steward at the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (RLPO), it’s clear that this work raises strong emotions. That’s why the plan suggests adopting two points per year over five years - a realistic pace for meaningful, sustainable change.
Audition bias risks not only reputational damage, but overall stagnation
Current recruitment practices — like automatic trials, non-screened (sighted) auditions, reviewing CVs, irregular or non-existent open auditions for extras and deputies, or inconsistent training for panel members — can introduce both implicit and explicit bias.
These methods often favour musicians who have advantages, such as those who have an already established freelance career, have studied with certain teachers/at specific colleges, or have particular socio-economic backgrounds.
The result? A narrower talent pool and, ultimately, diminished artistic quality. We risk not only reputational damage, but creative stagnation. It is also unfair.
Broadening access, strengthening the sector
Inclusive recruitment doesn’t devalue individual achievements. It simply ensures that the opportunity to succeed is open to all — growing the pool of talent, enriching the music we make, and benefiting the sector in a multitude of different ways.
But to truly shift, we need to ask ourselves difficult questions:
- How can our orchestras better reflect the diversity of the world we perform in?
- How are we relevant to society today?
- How are we perceived — and how should we be?
- Could that perception impact future funding or audiences?
- What holds us back from making our recruitment more transparent and fair?
- Are we showing enough humility as a sector?
These are questions that are existential and require thinking and ideas to match. I would argue that to start answering these, we need to think about representation.
Current representation in orchestras
According to the 2021 census, 18.3% of the UK population are from global majority backgrounds (Asian: 9.3%, Black: 4%, Mixed: 2.9%, Other: 2.1%).
Yet, the 2015 Equality and Diversity in the Classical Music Profession report found that fewer than 2% of UK orchestral musicians were Black, Asian, or ethnically diverse.
As a sector we are also woefully underrepresented by disabled and neurodiverse musicians, as well as players from all socio-economic groups. This must change.
As Roger Wilson puts it, “It's important to embrace the values of an inclusive community — in the context of orchestras, we still have some way to go to reflect the wider diversity of society at large.”
Connecting through programming and partnerships
To achieve this change is hard. We are all accurately aware of the catastrophic funding cuts made by successive governments regarding music education in schools. However, whilst continuing to campaign steadfastly on this front we can affect positive change over our recruitment policies. We must not ignore that responsibility.
To borrow some corporate language, diversifying service providers means diversifying audiences, which in turn broadens and diversifies our revenue streams. All big companies do this successfully.
Alongside this, we must all deepen our connection with communities—through listening, collaboration, targeted marketing, social media, and by further diversifying our audition repertoire, programming, and guest artists. We also need to make auditions as relevant to the job as possible—for example, by only hearing orchestral excerpts. Supporting staff training, mentoring, and building on initiatives like BLiM’s Recruiting Classical programme is essential.
Paulette Bayley explains projects like Recruiting Classical are “Important models of Positive Action, which are required to enable orchestras to address the lack of diversity in the sector.”
Putting the plan into practice at RLPO
At the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (RLPO), we’ve signed the 10-Point Plan and begun the work of embedding it into our recruitment processes. There’s more to do and it's a great basis to work from, but I’m proud of the progress.
We started with a working group of players and management, reviewing each of the 10 points. Some were quick to implement; others needed deeper consultation and training. In January 2025, we introduced Points 1, 2, 8, and 10.
In June, we hosted two full days of whole-orchestra training with Jessica Schmidt (Orchestrate Inclusion), Roger Wilson (BLiM), and John Shortell (MU Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion). Together, we explored unconscious bias and held open panel discussions.
Paulette agrees on the vital importance of training, but adds that “This must sit alongside consultations with musicians who are underrepresented, to hear and acknowledge their lived experience”.
There were some difficult conversations over those two days, but in such a safe environment I really hope that all my colleagues found space for personal reflection and growth.
We’re all starting from different places. What matters is that we walk the path with humility and openness.
“This isn’t just a cause, it’s a call to conscience”
Simon Cowen (Principal Trombone, RLPO) reflects on his own journey with honesty: “Since becoming involved with Black Lives in Music, I’ve felt deeply moved and endlessly enriched, though I carry a quiet regret that it took me this long to truly listen. Roger’s passion is nothing short of extraordinary; to witness his tireless dedication is to be reminded of what it means to truly believe in something with your whole soul.”
I know a small percentage of colleagues in the sector may remain sceptical or even resistant. But without this work, we will continue to alienate not only musicians of today, but audiences of tomorrow.
Simon adds, “This isn’t just a cause, it’s a call to conscience. And the time to answer is now, because change doesn’t ask for permission.”
A future worth fighting for
In an overcrowded cultural landscape, we can’t afford to be complacent. We must challenge outdated recruitment practices and use every tool we have to become more inclusive — not just for fairness, but for survival. If we don’t, I fear our future will be existentially threatened.
In April 2024 the MU partnered with Black Lives in Music (BLiM) and the Association of British Orchestras (ABO) to launch the 10-Point Orchestral Plan. The plan aims to enhance opportunities for all orchestral musicians across the UK, driving change for more inclusive recruitment.
Find out more or join one of our upcoming drop-in sessions, designed for members interested in exploring how the 10-Point Plan could be developed within their own orchestra as part of year two of the project.