The Binghamton Philharmonic strives to find opportunities for Inclusion and Accessibility in its programming, board/staff, orchestral roster, and community engagement. The Philharmonic has taken the following steps to meet these goals: 

Programming 

The Philharmonic is committed to presenting works of underrepresented composers. Recent and upcoming orchestral performances include works by Quinn Mason, Wang Jie, Anna Clyne, Adolphus Hailstork,  Florence Price, and Roberto Sierra, among others.

Accessibility

Because disability cuts across all demographic lines, the Philharmonic is committed to dismantling barriers to access for audience members with visible and invisible disabilities. Some of these efforts include:

• Use of the hearing loop T-coil system at the Forum Theatre, enhancing the experience of hearing-impaired patrons
• Increasing our handicapped seating offerings
• Ensuring that our website is ADA-compliant
• Partnering with the intellectual and developmental disability community to expand access to our Forum concerts

Board/Staff 

In 2020, the Philharmonic Board created an Ad Hoc EDI Committee; in 2021, the EDI Committee became a standing committee of the Board. According to the bylaws: 

The EDI (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion) Committee serves to ensure that the Binghamton Philharmonic meets its mission by truly engaging with the entire community, regardless of age, race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, military status, sex, marital status, or disability. In addition, the EDI Committee works to  provide greater equity, diversity, and inclusion among the Binghamton Philharmonic’s Board, musicians, and staff. 

Click here to read the Philharmonic's 2023-2028 Strategic Plan.

Orchestral Roster and Musical Leadership

In 2020, the Binghamton Philharmonic became a member of the National Alliance for Audition Support (NAAS), an arm of the Sphinx Organization. The Philharmonic works with the Alliance toward recruitment of musicians of African ancestry, whether it be through Sphinx Orchestral Partners Auditions or the NAAS Musician Database.

Through its Collective Bargaining Agreement, Philharmonic auditions are “blind,” a process by which candidate musicians are auditioned behind a screen. While blind auditions exist to eliminate bias in hiring, they can not address the pipeline issues that might prevent underrepresented musicians from appearing at auditions. Through its work with NAAS, the Binghamton Philharmonic continues to find ways to make auditions more accessible to all qualified musicians. In addition, NAAS gives the Binghamton Philharmonic access to musician lists of musicians of African ancestry, and the Philharmonic works regularly with its principal musicians to engage substitute musicians from those communities. 

In addition, the Music Director of the Philharmonic, Maestro Daniel Hege, is Nimi:pu (Nez Perce), and an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.

Community Engagement 

At the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra, community engagement and education reach all demographics, across age groups and income levels. As we follow our mission of “Building Community Through the Power of Live Music,” we work to create cultural understanding through concerts, children's programs, lectures, technology, in-school performances, and innovative programming.  In addition, we act as both a provider of and conduit to music education. IBM, our Community Engagement and Education Sponsor, partners with us to support the accessibility of live music for the community, while also helping us to develop programs that reach both traditional and non-traditional audiences. 

Some of these programs include: 

• Musical Gifts: The Philharmonic provides free concert tickets to underserved members of the community and area nonprofits. 
• On the Town!: This annual program brings children to a pre-concert dinner, with an opportunity to meet Maestro Daniel Hege and dress up for the evening’s concert (also provided free of charge). Participants are selected by area classroom music teachers and through the Philharmonic’s outreach to youth facing resource limitations. 
• MusicLink: Any child who has musical potential deserves the opportunity to nurture this talent to its full extent. Many children lack the chance to receive music lessons due to financial need. The Binghamton Philharmonic works with the MusicLink Foundation to reach out to low-income families by linking these students with professional music teachers willing to reduce their fee to make the lessons more affordable. MusicLink participants also receive free concert tickets for themselves and their families.  
• Family Symphony Sessions: This program brings children and their families into the Forum Theatre for a family-friendly conversation about an upcoming concert, followed by optional attendance at a dress rehearsal. Attendees receive ticket vouchers to the weekend's concert.