Da Capo Conversations 2.0 with Anthony R. Green and Zanaida Robles

For Good Measure, by Ensemble for These Times (E4TT)
Episode 190: Da Capo Conversations 2.0 with Anthony R. Green and Zanaida Robles

Looking for a way to listen to diverse creators and to support equity in the arts? Tune in weekly to For Good Measure!

Today we revisit Anthony R. Green’s and Zanaida Robles’ perspectives on their advocacy work. If you enjoyed today’s conversation and want to know more about Anthony R. Green and Zanaida Robles, check them out here and here. Parts of this episode originally premiered in March 2021, click here, and April 2025, click here.

This podcast is made possible by grants from the California Arts Council, SF Arts Commission, Grants for the Arts, and generous donors like you. Want to support For Good Measure and E4TT? Make a tax-deductible donation or sign up for our newsletter, and subscribe to the podcast!

Intro music: “Trifolium” by Gabriela Ortiz, performed by E4TT (Ilana Blumberg, violin; Abigail Monroe, cello; Margaret Halbig, piano), as part of “Below the Surface: Music by Women Composers,” January 29, 2022
Outro music: “Lake Turkana” by Marcus Norris, performed by E4TT (Margaret Halbig, piano), as part of “Alchemy,” October 15, 2021

Transcription courtesy of Otter.ai.
Buzzsprout: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1903729/episodes/18518430

Co-Producer, Host, and E4TT co-founder: Nanette McGuinness
Co-Producer and Audio Engineer: Stephanie M. Neumann
Podcast Cover Art: Brennan Stokes
Interns: Renata Volchinskaya, Sam Mason, Christy Xu

Chapters

• 0:29 Today we revisit Anthony R. Green's and Zanaida Robles' perspectives on their advocacy work. Here's what Anthony R. green had to say.
• 3:04 Here's what Zanaida Robles had to say.

Transcript

Nanette McGuinness  00:00

[INTRO MUSIC] Welcome to For Good Measure, an interview series celebrating diverse composers and other creative artists. I'm Nanette McGuinness, Artistic Executive Director of Ensemble for These Times. In this week's episode, we continue our Da Capo Conversations, a mini-series where we'll be giving familiar segments a topical twist. [INTRO MUSIC ENDS]  Today we revisit Anthony R. Green's and Zanaida Robles' perspectives on their advocacy work. Here's what Anthony R. green had to say.

 Anthony R. Green  00:38

With regards to social justice, I naturally have gravitated towards implementing that aspect of creativity into my practice. One of the first ever social justice pieces that I composed was way back in 2004 2005 and it concerned death in the war in Iraq, I had come across this article on the internet that basically said the amount of reported deaths in the war in Iraq is much lower than the amount of actual death in this war. And amazingly enough, sadly enough, in 2020 actually, even today, when we see the numbers of the amount of people officially reported to have passed away because of coronavirus, it is most likely extremely low compared to the actual numbers of People who have died because of coronavirus, so in a weird way, that very first social justice piece that I ever composed has come around to the events that started in 2020, and have and are unfortunately still continuing. However, it's super important in my practice that I use my platform to talk about various different issues, such as the power of women immigration, of course, matters related to black life in the United States and around the world, and transgender issues, access issues in terms of ableism, all sorts of issues can be discussed and and examined in a composition. But first and foremost, as a social justice artist, when I go about creating a piece of social justice music, I want my audiences to think about the issues that are being presented to them, and hopefully my pieces will will help people go home from that experience and do some more research, do some more reading, perhaps do some more talking with their friends and family, and then be an agent of change.

 Nanette McGuinness  03:04

Here's what Zanaida Robles had to say.

 Zanaida Robles  03:08

This is a little bit of a tough, a tough question, just because I'm in a place now where I'm I remain, I remain a very strong advocate for diversity, equity, inclusion in education and performance, but I'm not actively doing like that work any just I you know that work was that work is, is difficult, especially as a person you know, as a black woman, yeah, there's, you know, and especially coming through, you know the years, you know the you know the previous you know presidential administration and COVID and all of that. There was a lot. There's, I felt a lot of pressure internally and externally, yeah, to do that work, because I felt like there was such a huge need. Now I feel like there are lots of organizations, institutions and individuals who have taken up that mantle, and I don't, I no longer feel like, you know, I feel like I did, I did what I needed to do, you know, right? So and So, I guess that's, there's maybe two thoughts about that. One is, you know, in one, in some ways, we can never let up, you we have to be vigilant. I'm vigilant. And, you know, I'm still working in institutions where that that is an issue we are continuing to work on. Yeah, and it's, it's, it's all kinds of manifestations of of diversity and inclusion, from the institutional to the individual. You know, there's, there's so many different ways to look at those issues. We have to be vigilant about all of them. But also. There are so many resources now. There are so many organizations. And I think in I'm not every organization, but most arts organizations, performing arts organizations, have have some for some kind of cultural competency, where they're doing that work, or have done that work, right? And I don't, and so and so, in a way where we're moving towards being, you know, you know, it can't, it can't be just, you know, you don't just put a stick, you can't just put a sticker and say, you know, diversity, equity, inclusion certified, you know, it's like we're living it now. We're in the pro, yeah, you're not just stamping anymore. We're living it now. Yeah, and I think that that has given me a little bit of peace to say I don't have to, I don't have to represent what I used to have to what I used I feel like I had to represent whether I had what I really had to or not. I don't know, but now I feel there's a bit more freedom. There's a bit more space. We're a bit further removed from that tense, intense time of hyper focus on it. Thankfully, there's been so much progress and so much work that put towards diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, access, all of those elements. And there are so many others that you know, have done so much work in research and study and scholarship on this, you know, I am not. I wouldn't even call myself, you know, I've never been an expert, and I'm definitely, you know, at this point, I'm watching others ascend and soar in this work, doing, doing greater things and more than I could have ever imagined doing, and I'm very grateful for that, right?

 Nanette McGuinness  06:54

So it's no longer a case of, if not I who will...

Zanaida Robles  06:58

Yeah

Nanette McGuinness  06:59

...and so you don't have to carry the torch, because so many people are running with it.

Zanaida Robles  07:03

Exactly, and they're really... and I'm inspired by what I've seen. I mean, you know, there anyway, there's a lot of there. There are all kinds of people that come to mind and in organizations and things like that, you know, but, but there's so many like you, wherever you are, and whatever you know, sphere of the country you're in, or the world that you're in. You can you can you probably people... We have people in our midst now that are doing that work, and that makes me feel great.

Nanette McGuinness  07:29

[OUTRO MUSIC] Thank you for listening to For Good Measure's Da Capo Conversations, and a special thank you to our guests for joining us today. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to our podcast by clicking on the subscribe button and support us by sharing it with your friends, posting about it on social media and leaving us a rating and a review. To learn more about E4TT, our concert season online and in the Bay Area, or to make a tax-deductible donation, please visit us at www.E4TT.org. This podcast is made possible by grants from the California Arts Council, the San Francisco Arts Commission, Grants for the Arts, and generous donors like you. For Good Measure is produced by Nanette McGuinness and Ensemble for These Times, and design by Brennan Stokes, with special thanks to Co-producer and Audio Engineer Stephanie M. Neumann. Remember to keep supporting equity in the arts and tune in next week "for good measure." [OUTRO MUSIC ENDS]