Translocality and ‘Diversity’ in Concert Programming: A Pianist’s Autoethnography  

The Western classical music canon is experiencing unprecedented transformations, driven by composer anniversaries, sociopolitical movements, and diversity quotas. While recent scholarship has addressed intersectional analysis and global perspectives (Mathias et al., 2022), the field has been largely influenced by contexts in North America, UK, parts of Europe, and Australia. Discourses on practical methods of inclusion have not moved beyond those from the 1990s (Macarthur et al., 2017). Furthermore, although performers occupy a central role in concert programming decisions (Marín, 2018), the literature has largely focused on organizers (Gotham, 2014; Kouvaras et al., 2022) and audience experience (Pitts and Price, 2021).  

In this paper, I examine my evolving approaches with music by both canonical and underrepresented composers in Singapore and SEA, where I am now based. I build on my previous research as a pianist programming and performing women composers’ music in London. Rather than making polarised comparisons between my past and present selves, I approach identity as a process of becoming. In so doing, I examine my translocality and shifting definitions of repertoire ‘diversity’ and ‘canon’ as situated aspects of my practice, to be constantly mediated. The reciprocal relationship between my writing and practice is further strengthened by Bartleet’s (2009) example of autoethnography as a method that can empower us to work positively within a musical tradition fraught with issues. Finally, I address the potential implications of this research for conservatoire education in Singapore and beyond, particularly in relation to the cultured nature of one’s sense of agency.