Tessitura is committed to furthering diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion (DEAI) in its work.

An important arm of this effort is the Community DEAI Advisory Committee (CDAC). The committee serves as a communication channel between community members and the Tessitura team.

The committee has two aims. The first is to center DEAI in Tessitura community programs, including the Tessitura Learning & Community Conference (TLCC). The second is to inspire Tessitura members to advance DEAI in the Tessitura community, in their organizations, and in the wider arts and culture sector.

With these aims in mind, the committee identified four key initiatives for 2024 and is pleased to share this update on their progress.

Initiative No. 1: Curate and host virtual conversations featuring strong DEAI work at member organizations

The committee will soon launch a virtual event series presenting exemplary work in diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion. The series, called DEAI in Conversation, will feature short presentations by invited speakers followed by open discussion. Events will be open to the broader arts and culture community, not just Tessitura members.

The first event in the series will take place in March 2025, in conjunction with Women’s History Month. A panel of women in technology positions will discuss their career trajectories. They’ll share challenges they’ve faced working in a predominantly male-identifying field. They will also offer advice for women and nonbinary individuals working in or aspiring to technology roles.  

Another session will invite Sarah Hom, a past member of the Community DEAI Advisory Committee. Sarah will speak about Disability Pride Month, which is observed globally in July. Disability Pride Month seeks to raise awareness about disabilities, celebrate diversity within the disabled community and initiate constructive conversations. This session has not yet been scheduled.

Initiative No. 2: Design and host a workshop at TLCC Washington, D.C., on having uncomfortable conversations

This initiative aims to equip Tessitura members with the skills to facilitate empathetic conversations about DEAI-related topics in their organizations. It is based on the Clumsy Conversations framework, developed at Marbles Kids Museum in 2022 to foster a safe space for DEAI discussions.

Committee members Shenette Swann and Samantha Cantu led the effort. They developed a comprehensive slide deck and conducted two workshops at TLCC Washington, D.C., in August 2024 titled “Getting comfortable being uncomfortable with Clumsy Conversations.” 

Both sessions fulfilled their goal by fostering meaningful discussions. Many participants called it one of the most powerful sessions of the conference. Attendees also received materials on how to hold clumsy conversations in their organizations.

The program was also presented to the full Community DEAI Advisory Committee and Tessitura’s internal DEAI committee. Again, it received enthusiastic reviews. To continue building on these successes, the workshop will be offered again at TLCC London in April 2025 and at TLCC Anaheim in August 2025. 

Initiative No. 3: Provide Tessitura community chairs with two DEAI-focused sessions for community group meetups

This initiative seeks to advance diversity, equity, accessibility and inclusion in Tessitura community groups. The committee created two sessions that community chairs can include in group meetups.

The first of these sessions, developed by Clayton Dickson and Nicki LeGrand, is a “Story of Your Name” activity. This session is designed for smaller groups or those with an established rapport. Participants share the origins of their names, who named them and the history behind their names. A helpful guide offers information on addressing sensitive topics such as deadnames, slave names and names changed due to historical events and immigration.  

Nicki and Clayton are recording a video example to enhance the materials. They discuss the history of their names to demonstrate what and how participants might share. 

The second session offers insights into Tessitura’s DEAI commitment. Created in collaboration with Tessitura’s internal DEAI committee, this presentation highlights successes and challenges. It aims to inspire other organizations to incorporate DEAI initiatives into their team culture and work. The presentation is 15 minutes long, allowing ample time for questions. 

Both activities were presented to the wider Community DEAI Advisory Committee and the community chairs group. We incorporated their feedback into the final versions, which are now available for use.

Initiative No. 4: Review TLCC Washington, D.C., session proposals focused on DEAI and select sessions for inclusion in the conference program

This initiative works to integrate the voice of the Tessitura community into the TLCC content selection process. Tessitura received five DEAI session proposals for TLCC Washington, D.C., in 2024. The Community DEAI Advisory Committee reviewed and discussed each proposal. The group selected three sessions that were presented at the conference.

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2024 was a busy year for Tessitura’s Community DEAI Advisory Committee. The committee met every other month for a total of six meetings. These meetings facilitate collaboration and help advance the key initiatives.

The committee includes nine representatives from Tessitura member organizations and three from Tessitura’s Learning and Community team. Members of the advisory committee in 2024 were:

• Chloe Burton (she/her), The Old Vic 
• Samantha Cantu (they/them), Opera Colorado 
• Clayton Dickson (he/him), KERA 
• Jane Duong (she/her), National Gallery of Australia 
• Jordan Edwards (she/they), Long Center for the Performing Arts 
• Isaac Freeman (they/them), National Theatre 
• Nicki LeGrand (she/her), Royal Winnipeg Ballet 
• Kristen Olson (she/her), Tessitura 
• Shenette Swann (she/her), Marbles Kids Museum 
• Gill Tasker (she/her), Tessitura 
• Sheriece Veazey-McNally (she/her), Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art 
• Meredith Woolard (she/her), Tessitura 

We are very proud of our work and are honored to work alongside such talented and passionate individuals.

— Written by Chloe Burton, Jane Duong, Nicki LeGrand and Meredith Woolard