3 women finalists in Mahler conducting competition
mainThree women have made it to the last 14 of the Bamberg Mahler competition, an event that has yielded high-profile winners since Gustavo Dudamel took the inaugural prize in 2004. Here are the 2016 finalists, published today:
Mr Rodolfo Barráez Venezuela
Mr Gabriel Bebeselea Romania
Mr Paolo Bortolameolli Chile
Ms Tong Chen China
Ms Anna Duczmal-Mróz Poland
Mr Keitaro Harada Japan
Mr Georg Köhler Germany
Mr Sergey Neller Russia
Ms Gemma New New Zealand
Mr Eunseok Seo South Korea
Mr Valentin Uryupin Russia
Mr Vlad Vizireanu Romania
Mr Kahchun Wong Singapore
Mr David Yi USA
Why do the three women make it into the headline? What’s the point in trying to maintain gender barriers?
Lebrecht seems to enjoy focusing on women conductors, for some reason. A musican should focus on quality and talent, not sex.
Unfortunately subliminal sexism rules in the classical music world. The reason for a dearth of high level female conductors is not talent but prejudice. Norman is performing a very important service highlighting even this little progress.
Do you have any evidence that good quality female conductors are being ignored in favour of lower quality male conductors? If anything, we have seen in recent years unfair precedence given to women, not men.
If it’s true that women conductors of talent are everywhere, just where are they, and who? Seems to me that there simply aren’t many qualified women making this career choice.
What exactly is the track record on winners of these “conducting competitions”? Can’t help but think of the career of Okko Kamu after winning the “Karajan Competition” nearly 50 years ago…..
I’m a bit puzzled by that reference to Kamu. At present, he’s chief conductor of the Lahti SO, having succeeded Saraste. Over 100 discs to his credit, including a very well-received complete Sibelius symphony cycle on Bis. In earlier years, he held very solid positions, earned plaudits for many recordings and, to his eternal credit, did so without zooming around in a Lamborghini with arm aloft to show a Rolex-bangled wrist. Not a meteor, but it all sounds good to me, and meteors always burn out. (None of this is attributable to the competition he won, mind you. I view all music competitions with ill-concealed contempt.)
Oddly, I was unable to find a list of winners of the Karajan competition, although several famous conductors (Jansons, Gergiev) and reasonably-famous (Kamu, Antoni Wit, Dmitri Kitayenko) list first prizes in their bios.
Norman,
You do realize that women are humans who lead interesting lives? You know they’re not just creatures to be adored for their gender?
Life was better before every school had conducting majors and there were conducting competitions.
Past winners: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Mahler_Conducting_Competition
I’ve never heard of any of them besides Dudamel. Are the others “high-profile” as NL says? Maybe I’m just out of the loop.
I was about to ask the very same question!
2004, Gustavo Dudamel
2007, No first prize awarded, 2nd prize Shi-Yeon Sung
2010, Ainars Rubikis
2013, Lahav Shani
I can see only one Hype-profile, and no High ones.
We are out of the loop, I can see now.
When successful female conductors become commonplace, this kind of thing will stop being news. Until then, it’s still news.
Thank you, Bruce! Well stated!
Go Gemma ! (proud Kiwi here).
Go the girls!!!