In the spirit of honoring those fallen, whose lives were taken away too soon because of their color, creed, or ethnicity, YMMC joins with the arts and artists from around the world to be the force for change and to continue to promote equity, inclusion, and diversity in our community. Leonard Bernstein wrote the following paragraph after JFK’s assassination. It remains a powerful message for everyone and we are proud to share it.
We musicians, like everyone else, are numb with sorrow at this murder, and with rage at the senselessness of the crime. But this sorrow and rage will not inflame us to seek retribution; rather, they will inflame our art. Our music will never again be quite the same. This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before. Leonard Bernstein