Atlanta Symphony's Diversity-Focused Talent Program Celebrates 30 Years

Creating pathways into an orchestral career for Black and Hispanic musicians, the program will soon be accepting auditions for a fresh intake of players

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's Talent Development Program is celebrating 30 years of success in 2023.

The program, which identifies and provides mentorship for players in middle and high school, was founded by Azira Hill three decades ago, after she realized that Black and Hispanic players make up less than 5% of orchestral musicians globally.

Since its founding, she commented that the program's success is "indescribable."

Students are given weekly private lessons with an Atlanta Symphony musician, solo and chamber music performance opportunities, audition preparation, mentoring, and financial assistance with opportunities such as summer programs.

Auditions applications for the next intake will be accepted between January 7 and March 7, 2024, and you can find out more here.

"I didn’t have access to music lessons and my father was really looking for me to continue playing cello, so the Talent Development Program was recommended," said Denielle Wilson, a current Atlanta Symphony cellist who is also a graduate of the program. "So, I took an audition."

"It has taken me time to fully grasp [the way that my career unfolded]," she added. "If you asked me maybe two years ago, I would not envision this happened. Yes, it is still surreal."

"I feel wonderful," said founder Azira Hill, who is now 100 years old. "It is indescribable. The joy and emotion that you feel sometimes and you find yourself crying because we didn’t expect this, especially when we were told we cannot do it, but it happened."