Over the course of January 26–30, 2022, the Cornell Center for Historical Keyboards and its affiliate organization the Westfield Center for Historical Keyboard Studies put on Diversity and Belonging: Unsung Keyboard Stories, a whopping five-day conference that scrutinized important and timely issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the history of keyboard cultures. Conference events took place virtually and in person, by way of live-streams broadcast via the Westfield Center’s YouTube webpage and at the stunning facilities of our conference’s co-sponsor, the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, & Dance. Conference activities boasted an esteemed international roster of performer-scholars – including Karen Walwyn, Leah Claiborne, Connor Chee, Joel Schoenhals, Ana María Otamendi, Kola Owolabi, Kira Thurman, Kimberly Marshall, Leon Chisholm, and many more – and highlights entailed panels, stand-alone talks, concerts, and several world premieres that collectively urge us to reflect on the past, present, and future of DEI in our vocation.
You can watch recordings of several concerts and talks from Diversity and Belonging on the Westfield Center’s YouTube webpage.