The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra has announced its 1996-1997 season, and in most respects it is an unremarkable one, offering the usual subscription series dedicated to “Pops,” “Celebrity,” “Favorites,” and so on. But there is also a revolutionary series called “Classically Black.” This is a group of concerts with nothing in common except that the soloists or guest conductors happen to be black. They are concerts that have been plucked from the rest and set aside. They have been — in a word — ghettoized.

The formula is uncomplicated: If a concert features a black musician — no matter what the salient characteristics of that concert — it is eligible for “Classically Black.” For example, the orchestra will perform an all- Tchaikovsky program. Because the music is familiar and well-loved — the polonaise from Eugene Onegin, the first piano concerto, etc. — the concert is part of the “Favorites” series. But because the soloist in the concerto, Terrence Wilson, is black, the concert is part of “Classically Black” as well.