Omari I. Abdul-Alim Highlighted in New Documentary
UniSound’s inaugural Black Teaching Artist-in-Residence Fellow Omari I. Abdul-Alim stars in a new documentary from WHRO Public Media entitled, “Virginia Symphony Orchestra Fellows: Orchestrating Change.”
WHRO followed four amazing young musicians on their year long journey as VSO Fellows. The program was created to give underrepresented orchestral musicians the experiences they’ll need to succeed. The VSO recognizes that Black and Brown Musicians make up a very small percentage of orchestral musicians. This program is designed to advance the goal of increased diversity of symphony orchestras.
On Wednesday, October 29, 2025, Omari joined panelists Dr. Andrea Warren, Immediate Past President and CEO of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and Orion Burke, Supervisor of Music at Chesapeake Public Schools, for a premiere screening event at the Susan S. Goode Fine and Performing Arts Center at Virginia Wesleyan University.
It was an amazing experience to finally see the culmination of all the various performances and interviews that make up the “Orchestrating Change” documentary. The VSO fellowship continues to yield impactful growth and diversification for the Hampton Roads music education landscape. It has been an honor to take part in such an evolutionary journey – Omari I. Abdul-Alim
The full film is now available for viewing on WHRO+ at https://video.whro.org/show/virginia-symphony-orchestra-fellows-orchestrating-change/.
