The Challenge | Beyond the Baton

Thomas Wilkins is the first African American in the history of the Boston Symphony to hold a conducting position. Today, he’s rehearsing for an upcoming children’s concert. After the rehearsal, his former teacher stops by and they engage in a lively conversation. Conductor Richard Pittman tells us that Thomas lacked the musical training to get very far in the fiercely competitive world of classical music. We learn how Thomas overcame his limits to finally receive a Masters in conducting at the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. As Thomas tells his teacher “I have never been more in love with music than I am at this stage in my life.”

View the full film here: Beyond the Baton.