Maestro move: German signs with London firm
mainKevin John Edusei, Chief Conductor of the Munich Symphony Orchestra and Bern Opera House, has signed for worldwide management with Intermusica.
He has been working in London with the diversity orchestra Chineke and has a debut booked next season with English National Opera.
Edusei, 42, is of Edusei is of mixed Ghanaian and German parentage.
He has also signed with the State Opera Hannover for next season‘s new production of Tosca in October.
May I ask why is it necessary to mention in the text that Mr. Edusei is of mixed Ghanaian and German parentage? Is it because he looks a little “dark” in the photo and in order to give him the credibility needed for acceptance into the often racist and conservative world of classical music he is redeemed because he has some Germanic (Aryan) genes in him? How pathetic! It stinks of eugenic principles from the 19th Century. Would you do the same if the musician in question came from Icelandic and Lithuanian parentage? Probably not, as those two gene pools are white skinned, mostly blonde, blue-eyed and Judeo-Christian. When supposedly educated people define others in the first instance as has been done here it only confirms that the commentators and pundits of European/Western culture are little better than some of their predecessors of 1930’s Germany. Then the main defining criteria was first not skin colour as much as being defined as a Jew. Classical music has lost its relevance to the vast majority of multi-cultural, multi-ethnic young people today. Defining humans in the way that has been done here will do little to attract that youth and future globalised generations. Perhaps that is intentional.
No, it’s because it’s what it says in his official cv
Neither his website, nor the orchestra’s website mention his mixed race parentage. Wikipedia does, citing an interview on concerti.de titled “Ein Obama für München.”
Curious that his website–the front-line of where he curates his public persona–does not mention his ancestry.
Jesus fkin Christ!!
Thank you, H. Wallix for bringing up the question!
This is totally off-topic from the original article, but lots of “so-called” non-white artists get such unnecessary “racial” attention.
I am an Asian female obviously appears as non-white with non-English/non-European name. Nobody cares what and how I do but treats me as if I bank an alian or something like that.
It’s no more surprise people comment about my race, country and language while my colleagues are asked about their music matter. Do I sleep around to positions? Do I have to act like Cio-Cio san and shut my mouth because my English has an accent?
I’m tired of all that stuff.
Just because that is what it says in his official CV is not a reason to repeat it. It’s probably on his “official” CV for the very same reason as was sited above, namely to “purify” his African roots and make him more palatable and acceptable in the eyes of the traditional classical music audience who consider western classical music as white European culture and a predominantly white only enterprise. Asians are now finally accepted as performers and listeners of western classical music, but it took a long time. I guess since the main Asian countries concerned, Japan, Korea and China, are all industrious, capitalistic and share the consumer society and in the case of Korea very Christian, the white European/U.S. guardians and gatekeepers of western classical music finally accepted them and allowed them into the club. It is much harder for people of darker colour. Qualifying select people with African roots as having some white blood running through their veins is more to gain them acceptance and is a practice that should be abolished. If the guy carries a German passport, then he should be presented as a German. If he carries both German and Ghanaian citizenship then he should be presented as such. If he is ONLY German and you qualify his African racial aspect, then you need to be admonished. His own CV was probably written by an older white man of Anglo and possibly Jewish parentage such as yourself, You get the point now when it relates to yourself? If you still don’t get it, then your insensitivity to that aspect is disheartening