(upbeat music) - [Narrator] If you close your eyes, the majestic sound of a symphony orchestra can consume you.

When you open your eyes, there are numerous talented musicians helping to escort you on this musical journey, but it's what you don't see that the Virginia Symphony Orchestra is working to change.

(audience applauding) - We're trying to make a difference.

We are trying to expose students of color to classical music, to beautiful music, and to really understand that this is something that they can do as well.

- [Narrator] According to a study done by the League of American Orchestras in 2014, Black musicians make up less than 2% of orchestra musicians.

Three years ago, the VSO started a Fellows program designed to grow the number of Black musicians, not only in this orchestra, but in orchestras around the country.

- My name's Camille Jones, I'm a returning Fellow from Maryland, and I play the violin.

- My name's Adrian Jackson, I'm from Austin, Texas, and I played the viola.

This is my first year of the program.

Thanks for having me.

(audience cheering and applauding) - My name is Amari Abdul-Alim.

I'm a returning Fellow and a violinist from Seattle, Washington.

(bright music) Music is a universal language, so we'll find stuff that we love in all cultures, but it kind of takes that extra representation to kind of activate it within ourselves, activate it within students to say, "Oh, I could do that."

- Going into school programs and boys' and girls' clubs and the places where there are young Black and brown kids and showing them these opportunities at a high level with seriousness really helps.

(bright upbeat music) The reaction when I go into schools and show what it's like to be an African American playing a classical instrument is, it's a little bit like awestruck of kids that look like me.

Sometimes they don't see people in those spaces.

You'll see someone on TV or someone in a magazine, but to have someone you can speak to that looks like you, that does something different that you haven't thought about before, I think kind of opens up the possibilities for yourself, so you can kind of see like the spark lit in a kid's eye.

(bright upbeat music) - [Narrator] What the Fellows and many classical musicians have known for some time is, the earlier you can introduce Black youth to orchestral music, instruments, and mentors who look like them, the greater the likelihood of them seeing the orchestra as a career choice.

VSO Fellow, Camille Jones, was first introduced to the violin in the fourth grade.

- When I was younger, I did feel very constricted musically because I just didn't see people that looks like me doing the things that I was interested in.

I just remember being like, wow, violin is sick.

That's the instrument for me.

I'm gonna learn the heck out of that, and so that's what I did, and then the rest is history.

- [Narrator] One key component of the Fellows' time with the symphony are the mock auditions.

These blind auditions mimic what they'll encounter as they audition for spots with different orchestras across the US.

- Well, I think it's a good idea, the opportunity to have that feedback, (upbeat music) because sometimes we judge ourself a little bit too hard.

Now, playing with a professional orchestra as a Fellow, it's just great.

Since the first rehearsals when everybody's prepared and the conductor just move the baton and everything sounds like a recording, is nice.

- And that's what this is about.

It's about making an environment where we're all just making music together at the absolute highest level.

- [Narrator] The year-long Fellowship not only takes these talented young musicians into schools to teach the next generation, but it incorporates an opportunity to give back through a community service project.

- The capstone is this opportunity to allow the Fellows to expand their administrative and entrepreneurial skills through curation of some sort of special event.

We curated this really cool event, called Artistry for the Soul, which was this program focused on uplifting Black artistry through focusing on music by Black composers from 20th century to now.

- [Narrator] It's a program that's growing roots and sprouting results.

- See, they are expanding, they're growing their wings and they are flying, and we're extremely proud of them.

- And this is the future of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and is the future of orchestras across America.

So what we have to do is continue to support these types of programs so that we continue to include everyone in our community as we move forward with our musical ambitions.

(bright upbeat music) (audience applauding) (audience cheering and applauding)