Lift Every Voice

Fischoff commits to working to end the legacy of systematic racism currently embedded in the chamber music world. While the chamber music canon has been rooted in the Western European tradition, we acknowledge that many voices of the past and present have been underrepresented. Fischoff vows to make every person feel welcomed into the chamber music community. We embrace our leadership role in ensuring ever more diverse competitors, jurors, audiences, and staff members. Through our unique platform, the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition is helping expand and transform the canon through education and by encouraging performances by composers of color and of different cultural heritages, traditions, and legacies.

With its annual Competition and year-round chamber music performances, Fischoff is uniquely situated to help expand and transform the canon of traditional chamber music repertoire by encouraging ensembles to perform works by historically under-represented composers. In 2023, Fischoff instituted a mandatory component for Senior Division competitors to include works by diverse composers in their competition repertoire. In addition, Fischoff created the Lift Every Voice Prize, which is awarded to one Senior String Division ensemble and one Senior Wind Division ensemble for best performance of a work by a historically underrepresented composer within the chamber music world.

All senior division ensembles must include at least one complete work, or multiple complete works, of a minimum of 8 minutes in length, by one of the following historically underrepresented communities: Asian, Women, Black, Latino/a (heritage originates from Latin America) composers. Future years may highlight additional underrepresented groups.

Thank you to Fischoff’s EDI Committee: Alfred Guillaume – Chair, Lisa Casey, Marvin Curtis, John De Souza, Harriet Hamer, Nels Leininger, Michael Pippenger, Teresa Roberts, and Scott Campbell.