In a blind audition, the identity of the performer is concealed from the judges to prevent

bias Bias is a disproportionate weight ''in favor of'' or ''against'' an idea or thing, usually in a way that is inaccurate, closed-minded, prejudicial, or unfair. Biases can be innate or learned. People may develop biases for or against an individ ...

. The performance takes place behind a curtain so the judges cannot see the performer. Blind auditions have become a standard in symphony orchestras. In the 1970s, jazz bassist and clinical psychologist Art Davis unsuccessfully filed suit against the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

for racial discrimination. Although his suit failed, his efforts have been credited for helping pave the way to the current system of blind auditions for orchestras. In 1980, American trombonist Abbie Conant was selected in a blind audition as the overwhelming first choice for Principal Trombonist of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra but was subsequently subjected to

sexism Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but primarily affects women and girls. It has been linked to gender roles and stereotypes, and may include the belief that one sex or gender is int ...

by the director

Sergiu Celibidache Sergiu Celibidache (; ; 13 August 1996) was a Romanian people, Romanian Conducting, conductor, composer, musical theorist, and teacher. Educated in his native Romania, and later in Paris and Berlin, Celibidache's career in music spanned over fi ...

. His discriminatory behavior came to light during a 12-year legal battle throughout his tenure at the Munich Philharmonic. On his orders, she was forced to sit in the second chair and was paid less than her male colleagues because of her gender. Celibidache was not invited to give testimony at the trials due to a lack of substantiated criticism. The courts found in favor of Conant as Celibidache "could not justify his complaint with facts". An appeal on the decision failed, and Conant was paid the same as her male colleagues. According to a widely cited 2001 study by Cecilia Rouse of Princeton and

Claudia Goldin Claudia Dale Goldin (born May 14, 1946) is an American economic historian and labor economist. She is the Henry Lee Professor of Economics at Harvard University. In October 2023, she was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences "fo ...

of Harvard, the introduction of blind auditions to American symphony orchestras increased the probability that a woman would advance from preliminary rounds by 50 percent. Among those symphonies, "about 10 percent of orchestra members were female around 1970, compared to about 35 percent in the mid-1990s." Rouse and Goldin attribute about 30 percent of this gain to the advent of blind auditions, although they admit that their "estimates have large standard errors and at least one persistent effect in the opposite direction." In 2010, the competitive talent show '' The Voice of Holland'' introduced blind auditions to televised talent shows; the format was then quickly franchised to dozens of other countries. Similarly, blind judging and blind jury represent the same premise of an item or person being judged solely on its own merits.

References

{{Discrimination Performing arts Recruitment Music performance

See also

References