Contemporary concerns in the performing arts include the complex issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and nurturing musician-citizens. Despite decades of rhetoric, funder investments, and endless well-intended initiatives, the goal of richly “colorful” artists and audiences in Western classical music remains elusive. Similarly, classical music institutions struggle to engage in authentic ways with diverse communities. As the music field at-large seeks to assure its relevance and value to humanistic and social well-being, initiatives must move beyond the superficiality of recruiting musicians of color into Western European practice and short-term pandering to audiences. This presentation will explore the ecological complex of curricular, performing, learning, and operational issues essential to access and equity, including active music-making and valuing across cultures and traditions. It will also consider how higher education can incubate collaborative models and strategies that lead, rather than follow, transformative change in professional practice.