Through the lens of the Negro Symphony Orchestra, ORCHESTRATED looks at the presumed “ivory tower” of classical music and dissects the social history that prevented the Orchestra from rising to its deserved place in the history of 20th century music despite its apparent excellence and potential.

Why do we not know this story? Why does it remain unexamined in scholarly books or articles? Why is ORCHESTRATED both the main source of, and outlet for, original research on the Orchestra? This question is at the core of our film, and it is also the motivating force for Kyle P. Walker, the young professor and musician who leads us into the world of 100+ African American performers, on the brink of making a revolutionary splash at Carnegie Hall—then and today. 

As filmmakers, we are grappling with the disappearance of history and are looking for ways to recover it. Memory of the era we are studying is slipping away, and we cannot be certain of ongoing access to the relevant documents or resources to interview the few people who knew the Orchestra musicians in the current political environment. For that reason, the discovery feels even more pressing and urgent as of April 2025. The theme that has emerged thus far is that of freedom: the freedom to realize one’s talent and potential; the freedom to practice and master one’s craft; and finally, the right and freedom to interpret and perform the music. Please help us turn what we’ve learned into a compelling and essential film.