One of the topics discussed in the BBC Radio 3 interview for the upcoming feature Classical Commonwealth (details here) are Anti-Colonial Orchestras. You can find out more in the piece linked below the quote!
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 direct opposition to Western classical music cultural imperialism. In ways, this echoes the purpose of the Soviet folk orchestras (as well as the Folk orchestras of other communist states) but differ in that many of these weren’t necessarily state-sponsored groups, or at least not groups forced to form to directly counter Western Imperialism. The following is a small sampling of some of these groups and some of the reasons for their founding.
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