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Conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser’s name has become synonymous with diversity of programming. In 2019, he was featured in the CBC documentary Disruptor Conductor in which he brings orchestral music to young people, the LGBTQ+ community, people on the autism spectrum and prison populations. And in recent years, he has conducted numerous shows that aim to educate, connect, and celebrate the unique communities in every city where he works.
Bartholomew-Poyser is currently the Barrett principal education conductor and community ambassador at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO). In this role, he often conducts relaxed performances for the neurodiverse and disability communities. He encourages all orchestras to consider how they, too, can serve the people in their community. “In what ways can we gently open the doors of all of our performances to a wider range of people?” he asks. “Having more people in the community that are aware of and able to access your performance is always a beautiful thing.” Acknowledging it may not be financially possible for smaller orchestras to put on an entire neurodivergent series, Bartholomew-Poyser suggests even just the intent to increase accessibility and diversity reaps benefits.
Violinist Ben Beilman and Conductor Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser. Photo: San Francisco Symphony
When planning a concert, Bartholomew-Poyser says he is inspired by his own life. Whether it’s a good book, the experiences of friends and family, or a walk by the ocean, the conductor often converts his interests and experiences into concert ideas. For example, while reading Stolen Focus by Johann Hari, Bartholomew-Poyser imagined how the topic would work for a performance. This idea became Focus, an education concert with the TSO about focus, imagination, and attention span. “I would say to people: What’s a regular part of your life that you could bring to the art?” posits Bartholomew-Poyser when it comes to finding inspiration.
Looking toward the future, the Canadian conductor hopes that the new generation of musicians will bring their whole selves to the job. “(I hope that) areas of interest in their lives or things that make them uniquely themselves will start to become more and more part of the fabric of the orchestral land,” he says. In other words, Bartho-lomew-Poyser seeks more opportunities for players to show their multifacetedness. He refers to the idea of the Gesamtkunstwerk (the total artwork) to explain his hopes for upcoming artists and his own journey of creating. “I don’t separate any part of my life from any other part of my life,” he says.
Bartholomew-Poyser has demonstrated how one’s unique perspective can foster innovation in orchestras. “Everybody can have a Gesamtkunstwerk life,” he quips.
Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. Photo: Matt Duboff
Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser and the TSO present Hot, Hot, Hot!, an exhilarating day of calypso rhythms and orchestral magic for families on Feb. 16. www.tso.ca
This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en:
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