Woman conductors: The power list

cherrera says:

A sure sign that women conductors are dominating will be when they stop conducting with batons, the ultimate 12 inch phallic symbol extension of the male ego (except for Gergiev who inexplicably conducts with a toothpick). (To think, the baton evolved from a body-length rod that one grasped with one’s entire hand and moved up and down to mark time… or enjoying the music.)

Tongue in cheek aside, I am quite serious about this post, so much of tradition having started out as subconscious manifestations, and remain vestiges, of male power. If women started out as conductors, would they have used a rod or a 12 inch stick? (Let me not digress on the female shape of the cello and how one straddles to play it.)

Astoria Wagner says:

Mei-Ann Chen is missing – Music Director of the Memphis Symphony since 2010 and of the Chicago Sinfonietta since 2011. In 2005 she became the first woman to win Copenhagen’s esteemed Malko Competition.

John Borstlap says:

Would non-male conductors have another preference as to contemporary music than their non-female collegues? Would they be inclined to beat the competition by inflicting stronger progressive, ‘cutting-edge’ works on audiences, in an attempt to compensate for gender bias (Olga Neuwirth, a female), or would they instead like to cultivate the more humane, ‘feminine’, less-testeron-infected works (Nicolas Bacri, a male) to seduce biassed audiences to contemporary pleasures? Also, would their hairdo be influenced by their position? And what about the trombone players? Here we have an entirely new, unploughed territory of associations and gender-theoretical / postmodernist minefields, not to speak of the questions of form and content in music performance.

Would be interesting to have all this researched.

Bruce says:

To be fair, NL is talking about finding women “near the top of the profession.” It’s early days yet for women to be getting anywhere in the profession, so it’s not surprising (yet) that there aren’t many near the top (yet). In a few years, however, when there’s been time to address all the questions about their merit as conductors, it will be interesting to see what happens.

For example, if Malkki, Gražinytė-Tyla, et al start getting, or being seriously considered for, the “big” jobs — New York, London, etc., then that will be one thing. If seriously promising conductors are discarded once they turn 35, like models, then that will be another.

For the time being, I’d say there’s no need to rush: we have plenty of examples of young male conductors being pushed forward too far, too soon. Women would be subject to all the same pressures as the men, but with added comments about getting the job because of their sex and their looks.

M2N2K says:

Do not forget Gisele Ben-Dor — not at the very top of conducting world of course, but pretty close to it. Haven’t seen her in a while, but about 15 or so years ago she was a very fine conductor.

Robert says:

Why don’t we start calling them conductors plain and sane ?!?!?! Men who conduct are not called male conductors …so why keep this “female conductor ” “non-male conductor ” definition of women who conduct? We don’t say female violinist do we ????

Nate says:

Eímear Noone. Studio conductor in LA for many game soundtracks, and tours the world currently with the Video Games Live orchestra. A fabulous conductor and teacher, and a composer as well.