Young classical musicians, undeterred by Trump’s DEI reversal, earn standing ovation at Symphony Center

The exceptional musicians of the Equity Arc Pathways Orchestra performed alongside 13 professional musicians to a sold-out crowd at Symphony Center in Chicago on April 6. In attendance was Governor JB Pritzker and first lady MK Pritzker. The orchestra performed Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s “Ballade in A minor” and Tchaikovsky’s “Symphony No. 4” and received a standing ovation.

This concert came about a month after the Equity Arc Wind Symphony made national headlines following President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion. About 30 students with Equity Arc’s Wind Symphony were supposed to head to Washington in May to perform with the President’s Own U.S. Marine Band, but that concert was canceled after Trump signed an executive order ending federal DEI programs.