For decades, orchestras have used “blind auditions” in an effort to remove bias from the selection process. The idea was that if the performer was seen, the selection committee may bring personal bias into whether that person was going to get a job. For example, subtle or overt bias against women or minorities might factor into whether a person auditioning was selected.
The success of blind auditions in increasing opportunities for women was allegedly confirmed in a 2000 study by Harvard economist Claudia Goldin and Princeton economist Cecilia Rouse. The economists set out to determine whether women’s success in joining orchestras was related to the adoption of blind auditions.
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