Since 2019, I have served as the music director of Interlochen Public Radio. I oversee everything related to Classical IPR, a 24-hour classical music FM station at Interlochen Center for the Arts. My role involves everything from how we sound on the air to what initiatives we're undertaking in the local community to how on earth our little FM station in the woods of northern Michigan can compete in a crowded field of music services from all over the globe. In this piece, I'll provide an overview of how some American classical music radio stations are approaching diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and then turn to some of the ways my team at Classical IPR addresses DEI on the air.
Classical stations around the country have taken different approaches to DEI. Many stations are trying to program more music composed and performed by people from historically underrepresented groups in daily...