Register For THE VIOLIN CHANNEL

A password will be e-mailed to you. Cancel

LIVE SHOW STARTS IN

00:00:00:00

VC LIVE | Wigmore Hall Presents Meta4

April 10, 2023 1:00 pm EST

LIVE SHOW STARTS IN

00:00:00:00

UPCOMING STREAMS

VIEW ALL
  • Most Respected Classical Music Platform
  • #classicalForever
TOP

VC's Geoffrey John Davies — "They/Them Is Awkward at First"

Get an inside look at our CEO, Founder, and Editor in Chief Geoffrey John Davies as he shares his unique industry vantage point

 

 

 

Today, I had my first business conversation involving the use of gender-neutral pronouns. Whilst discussing a male-sex-assigned-at-birth musician, their CIS manager politely corrected me when I said “he” and advised of their gender-expansive identification and choice of the “they/them” pronouns.

It was actually the first time I can recall being corrected in this manner, but as someone who’s had gay and trans friends for all of my adult life, I, of course, immediately understood the paramount importance of respecting one's chosen pronouns to signal courtesy and acceptance.

But, I won’t lie, the conversation wasn’t completely easy. We both slipped up several times and clarity was sometimes compromised. I certainly experienced inner grammar consternation and it took some syntactical acrobatics to make it clear when I was talking about the musician, singular, as opposed to the musician and their collaborative artists.

But you know what, we did it. We sorted out the gig, and, we showed that we see them, we affirm them, and we accept them.

Yes, using “they/them” is a little awkward at first. And yes, “they” and “them” have been hard-wired into the English language as plurality, but gender-neutral pronouns are here to stay so we need to keep practicing to communicate accurately and respect others’ identities without blunders.

 

 

 

(That said, there is also something ironically uncomplicated about a camp gay man just calling everyone “guuuuurl”)


upcoming events

march 2023

25marAll Day29Music Teachers National Association National Conference(All Day) Nugget Casino Resort, 1100 Nugget Ave, Sparks, NV 89431Event Type :conferences & tradeshowsFOLLOW

28mar6:00 pm9:00 pmVirtual Event2023 Avery Fisher Career Grants Ceremony6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Event Type :Streams Event TagsAvery Fisher Career GrantsFOLLOW

april 2023

03apr9:00 am12:00 pmVirtual EventWigmore Hall Presents "The Power and the Glory"9:00 am - 12:00 pm Event Type :Streams Event TagsWigmore HallFOLLOW

04aprAll Day07National Opera Association Annual Convention(All Day) Hyatt Regency Houston Galleria, 2626 Sage Rd, Houston, TX 77056Event Type :conferences & tradeshows Event TagsNational Opera AssociationFOLLOW

10apr9:00 am12:00 pmVirtual EventWigmore Hall Presents Meta49:00 am - 12:00 pm Event Type :Streams Event TagsWigmore HallFOLLOW

12aprAll Day15Lyon International Chamber Music Competition(All Day) Opéra de Lyon, Main Hall, 1 Pl. de la Comédie, 69001 Lyon, FranceEvent Type :competitions Event TagsLyon International Chamber Music Competition,piano trioFOLLOW

12apr12:00 pm3:00 pmVirtual EventYCA Presents Pianist Zhu Wang & Friends12:00 pm - 3:00 pm Event Type :Streams Event TagsYoung Concert ArtistsFOLLOW

13aprAll Day15National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Show(All Day) Anaheim convention center, Anaheim, CA 92802Event Type :conferences & tradeshows Event TagsNAMM,The National American of Music Merchants ShowFOLLOW

14aprAll Day16Virtual Event2023 Carl Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition(All Day) Event Type :Streams Event TagsCarl Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition,chamber musicFOLLOW

14apr9:00 pm11:00 pmVirtual EventMinnesota Orchestra and David Afkham9:00 pm - 11:00 pm Event Type :Streams Event TagsDavid Afkham,Minnesota OrchestraFOLLOW

CONTACT US
x

Get ALL our latest conveniently by EMAIL

Our newsletter is trusted by over 100,000+ industry professionals around the world

We deliver news straight to your inbox and will never share your data.
You'll never miss a beat!