The Recording Academy has invited more than 2,000 people to become voting members.

The Academy announced on June 28 that it was also inviting more than 600 additional people to become professional (non-voting) members.

In a statement, the Academy said, “it has been aggressive in recent years about expanding and diversifying its membership. It currently has more than 12,000 voting members and more than 3,000 professional (non-voting) members.”

Among the new members from the opera world are Zachary James, Jamie Barton, Megan Pachecano, Karen Slack, and Jonathan Estabrooks, among others.

In its announcement about the new members, Ashley Thomas, director of member and outreach systems said, “that 56 percent of the total 2,700 invitees are from underrepresented communities.” She added that the new invitees show equality and equity between men and women continuing the academy’s commitment to creating a more welcoming and safe environment for all individuals across the industry.