by DR. JENNIFER COOPER
What does equity in the arts look like in today’s social climate, when diversity efforts are being challenged and too many cultural spaces still feel inaccessible?
It looks like intentional partnerships. It looks like thoughtful programming. And most importantly, it looks like making sure everyone sees themselves reflected on stage and in the audience.
At the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, we believe the arts are not a luxury—they are a civic responsibility. With every concert, we’re not just performing music—we’re telling stories, shaping culture, and creating spaces where our city’s diversity is acknowledged, celebrated, and elevated.
This season, that means opening our fall with Considering Matthew Shepard, a powerful and poetic tribute to a young gay man whose murder became a national wake-up call for compassion. In the spring, we’ll perform Mozart’s Requiem alongside A Procession Winding Slowly Around Me, which sets the Civil War-era poetry of Walt Whitman to music. This pairing invites audiences into a dialogue about peace, grief, and shared humanity.
We’ve also deepened our collaborations with artists like Brazilian guitarist Daniel Duarte, and we’re partnering again with the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and venues across the region—from Butler’s Schrott Center to Saint Christopher Episcopal Church in Carmel and Second Presbyterian Church in Indy.
But we’re not the only ones doing this work.
Organizations across Central Indiana—from Asante Art Institute to Rokh, from the Indianapolis Shakespeare Company to the Indianapolis Ballet—are reimagining what cultural inclusion can look like. They’re expanding access, diversifying representation, and nurturing the next generation of artists and leaders.
And yet, these efforts require more than applause. They require investment. They require community buy-in. And they require sustained advocacy in the face of resistance.
Equity in the arts doesn’t happen by chance. It happens through intentional casting, inclusive repertoire, and removing barriers to access, whether that’s ticket prices, transportation, or representation. At ISC, this means offering $15 tickets for many performances, holding open auditions, and ensuring our storytelling resonates with today’s lived experiences.
Because when someone walks into a concert hall and sees their own culture, their own history, or their own identity honored in the music, it sends a message: you belong here.
This is the power of the arts in a city like Indianapolis. We aren’t just building audiences. We’re building belonging.
And in times like these, that’s something worth singing about.
Dr. Jennifer Cooper is the Executive Director of the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir, dedicated to making choral music an accessible and transformative experience for all. Through innovative programming and community outreach, she champions the belief that music should be shared by everyone, regardless of background or financial means.
