Kansas City feels the heat over rejected percussionist

The refusal by Kansas City Symphony to give tenure to Josh Jones, a black principal percussionist, first reported in slippedisc.com, is now gathering heat from multiple directions.

Dallas’s former principal Douglas Howard calls the decision in an open letter (pictured) ‘highly suspect’.

Opera singer Julia Bullock, who is about to perform in KC, says: ‘I am entering into your space as a guest artist carrying unresolved tension, confusion and disappointment not only around the allegations that have yet to be adequately addressed concerning bias and systemic racism — which unfortunately remain a reality in any institution; but also regarding the seeming lack of open and direct communication between all parties. In the coming days and weeks, I hope that you will collectively find a way forward.’

The man who refused Jones tenure is outgoing music director Michael Stern.