{"id":902111,"date":"2021-10-20T13:29:26","date_gmt":"2021-10-20T17:29:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=902111"},"modified":"2021-10-20T13:29:29","modified_gmt":"2021-10-20T17:29:29","slug":"university-of-michigan-wont-investigate-the-renowned-composer-who-showed-class-othello-featuring-laurence-olivier-after-students-claim-racism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/university-of-michigan-wont-investigate-the-renowned-composer-who-showed-class-othello-featuring-laurence-olivier-after-students-claim-racism\/","title":{"rendered":"University of Michigan Won\u2019t Investigate The Renowned Composer Who Showed Class \u2018Othello\u2019 Featuring Laurence Olivier After Students Claim Racism"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">38<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Funiversity-of-michigan-wont-investigate-the-renowned-composer-who-showed-class-othello-featuring-laurence-olivier-after-students-claim-racism%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=902111&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The University of Michigan has determined that it will not open a formal investigation into a music professor after he showed students in his composition seminar the 1965 film, \u201cOthello,\u201d which features actor Laurence Olivier in blackface.<\/p>\n<p>The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefire.org\/university-of-michigan-professor-no-longer-teaching-composition-seminar-after-students-complain-about-blackface-in-1965-othello-film\/\">reported<\/a> that Professor Bright Sheng, the Leonard Bernstein Distinguished University Professor of Composition at the University of Michigan School Of Music, Theater, and Dance, would <em>not<\/em> face a formal investigation after playing the film to highlight how opera composer Giuseppe Verdi had adapted Shakespeare\u2019s \u201cOthello.\u201d Following anger from students, Sheng apologized and agreed to step away from teaching the seminar.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile it remains discouraging that Sheng has \u2018stepped away\u2019 from teaching this semester, Michigan\u2019s decision not to launch a formal investigation into a professor\u2019s course content was the right one to make. Such investigations produce profound chilling effects inimical to a university\u2019s role as a marketplace of ideas. FIRE hopes that this controversy over Sheng\u2019s protected expression will signal to Michigan faculty and administrators that it\u2019s time for the university to make a serious effort to protect and defend faculty members\u2019 First Amendment rights and academic freedom,\u201d FIRE wrote.<\/p>\n<p>As The Daily Wire previously reported, on September 10, freshman Olivia Cook attended Sheng\u2019s composition seminar. The course that year was going to analyze the works of William Shakespeare, and Sheng\u2019s first class featured the 1965 film \u201cOthello,\u201d which featured actor Laurence Olivier wearing blackface. Sheng <a href=\"https:\/\/www.michigandaily.com\/news\/academics\/following-blackface-incident-professor-bright-sheng-takes-step-back-from-teaching-smtd-composition-course\/\">told<\/a> The Michigan Daily that he showed the film to highlight how opera composer Giuseppe Verdi had adapted the play. Sheng told the outlet that cross-casting happens regularly in opera and didn\u2019t see Olivier\u2019s performance \u201cthe same as the minstrel performances which did degrade African Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought [that] in most cases, the casting principle was based on the music quality of the singers,\u201d Sheng wrote to the paper. \u201cOf course, time [sic] has changed, and I made a mistake in showing this film. It was insensitive of me, and I am very sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cook told the Daily that she realized something was wrong when the film began but didn\u2019t realize she could be outraged until \u201cfurther inspection,\u201d when she noticed Olivier was in blackface.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was stunned,\u201d Cook said. \u201cIn such a school that preaches diversity and making sure that they understand the history of POC [people of color] in America, I was shocked that [Sheng] would show something like this in something that\u2019s supposed to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The University of Michigan has determined that it will not open a formal investigation into a music professor after he showed students in his composition seminar the 1965 film, \u201cOthello,\u201d which features actor Laurence Olivier in blackface.The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education reported that Professor Bright Sheng, the Leonard Bernstein Distinguished University Professor of Composition at the University of Michigan School Of Music, Theater, and Dance, would not face a formal investigation after playing the film to highlight how opera composer Giuseppe Verdi had adapted Shakespeare\u2019s \u201cOthello.\u201d Following anger from students, Sheng apologized and agreed to step away from teaching the seminar.\u201cWhile it remains discouraging that Sheng has \u2018stepped away\u2019 from teaching this semester, Michigan\u2019s decision not to launch a formal investigation into a professor\u2019s course content was the right one to make. Such investigations produce profound chilling effects inimical to a university\u2019s role as a marketplace of ideas. FIRE hopes that this controversy over Sheng\u2019s protected expression will signal to Michigan faculty and administrators that it\u2019s time for the university to make a serious effort to protect and defend faculty members\u2019 First Amendment rights and academic freedom,\u201d FIRE wrote.As The Daily Wire previously reported, on September 10, freshman Olivia Cook attended Sheng\u2019s composition seminar. The course that year was going to analyze the works of William Shakespeare, and Sheng\u2019s first class featured the 1965 film \u201cOthello,\u201d which featured actor Laurence Olivier wearing blackface. Sheng told The Michigan Daily that he showed the film to highlight how opera composer Giuseppe Verdi had adapted the play. Sheng told the outlet that cross-casting happens regularly in opera and didn\u2019t see Olivier\u2019s performance \u201cthe same as the minstrel performances which did degrade African Americans.\u201d\u201cI thought [that] in most cases, the casting principle was based on the music quality of the singers,\u201d Sheng wrote to the paper. \u201cOf course, time [sic] has changed, and I made a mistake in showing this film. It was insensitive of me, and I am very sorry.\u201dCook told the Daily that she realized something was wrong when the film began but didn\u2019t realize she could be outraged until \u201cfurther inspection,\u201d when she noticed Olivier was in blackface.\u201cI was stunned,\u201d Cook said. \u201cIn such a school that preaches diversity and making sure that they understand the history of POC [people of color] in America, I was shocked that [Sheng] would show something like this in something that\u2019s supposed to be a safe space.\u201dSheng was alerted to his error and sent out an apology shortly after class, saying Olivier\u2019s casting was \u201cracially insensitive and outdated.\u201dThat wasn\u2019t good enough. Five days later, David Gier, dean of the School of Music, Theatre &#038; Dance, sent an email to the department that mentioned the incident and also apologized.\u201cProfessor Sheng\u2019s actions do not align with our School\u2019s commitment to anti-racist action, diversity, equity and inclusion,\u201d Gier said in the email, according to the Daily. Gier also said in his email that Sheng had been reported to the Office of Equity, Civil Rights, and Title IX over the incident.On September 16, Sheng sent out another apology, a formal one to the entire department. This apology said he had done more research into racism in America.\u201cIn a classroom, I am a teacher representing the university and I should have thought of this more diligently and fundamentally; I apologize that this action was offensive and has made you angry,\u201d Sheng wrote, according to the Daily. \u201cIt also has made me lost [sic] your trust.\u201dSheng also included multiple examples of how he cast people of color in his previous operas. This angered students further, who claimed these examples were just excuses and made it seem like he was insisting he had been responsible for the success of those he cast.On September 23, 18 undergraduate composition students, 15 graduate composition students, and nine members of the school\u2019s staff and faculty sent a letter to dean Grier further complaining about Sheng\u2019s showing of the film, even though he had now apologized twice.The letter demanded Sheng be removed from teaching the undergraduate composition seminar, even though the actions up to this point clearly got the point across.When Sheng heard about the letter \u2013 three weeks after he had shown the movie in class \u2013 he stepped down from teaching the seminar. As the Daily noted, Sheng said he was \u201cstill teaching students in his studio, serving other departmental and school-wide duties and working on research projects.\u201dThe Daily Wire is one of America\u2019s fastest-growing conservative media companies and counter-cultural outlets for news, opinion, and entertainment. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a\u00a0member.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-902111","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/902111","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=902111"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/902111\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=902111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=902111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=902111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}