Two more women in Yannick’s conducting team
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(Philadelphia, April 3, 2019)––The Philadelphia Orchestra is pleased to announce two new conducting appointments beginning September 2019: Erina Yashima as assistant conductor and Lina Gonzalez-Granados as conducting fellow.
Yashima will succeed Kensho Watanabe, whose term concludes at the end of the 2018-19 season. In her role, she will serve as cover conductor for, and provide assistance to, Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin and guest conductors on artistic matters in preparation for and during rehearsals, in addition to participating in residency, touring, and educational activities.
Gonzalez-Granados also joins the conducting roster to support the Orchestra up to 10 weeks per season, assisting Nézet-Séguin and guest conductors on special projects in addition to leading select community programs…
Born and raised in Germany, Erina Yashima is currently in her third year as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Sir Georg Solti Conducting Apprentice. In her role, she assists Music Director Riccardo Muti and conducts the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the CSO’s training orchestra.
Lina Gonzalez-Granados is the 2017-19 Taki Concordia Fellow, a position created by conductor Marin Alsop to foster the entrepreneurship and talent of female conductors. In addition to her appointment as conducting fellow of The Philadelphia Orchestra, she will become conducting fellow of the Seattle Symphony in fall 2019.
Nowadays, you have to be a female to get a conducting career…
Yashima is a persuasive presence. She did a fine Mahler #6 with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago (the CSO’s training orchestra, made up of recent conservatory grads).
As long time subscribers and Orchestra supporters, my friends and I have never seen such an articulate, charming, and generous assistant conductor as Kensho Watanabe. His pre-concert lectures are standing room only, he is always personable with patrons, and his conducting is far above other conductors that have guested this season. Hopefully, the new administration brings him back in the near future, especially as he starts conducting on the international scene. Best of luck to the new crew.
I believe Cristian Macelaru had that position as well and then was given another title after his tenure as assistant conductor ended. He still conducts a subscription program or two every season and is developing a nice career.
Is this news because they are outstanding or because they are women?
Almost always the latter, sadly.
Personally, I am getting sick and tired of all of these orchestras foisting all these women conductors on us, all in the name of political correctness. Obviously, the Philadelphia Orchestra management sought out women specifically for these two positions. I find that completely reprehensible. Enough already. Musicians should be hired on talent alone.
If anyone thinks that hiring women conductors is going to help sell tickets and keep classical music afloat in today’s times, they are seriously mistaken.
It is so transparently laughable one wonders why bother……all this phony politically correct window dressing…….how the orchestra has come down from what it once was to the Sequin shenanigans.
Naturally, because Norman emphasizes gender in his headlines, when women conductors get hired, their sex must be the reason. (It can’t be because they’re good, obviously, because… they’re women.)
/eyeroll
That is because Norman is a feminist and self hating misandrist. His comment forum is becoming the Rotten Tomatoes of classical music.
LOL… OK, have a nice day.
Yep. They can say that they have a woman on the podium but they won’t say if the tickets go down when she is. The quality of music is the last concern of the PC brigade.
Agreed that they should’ve hired on musical knowledge and ability. However there have been plenty of talented women that have always been overlooked because they aren’t in the good ol boys club. Now groups are opening their eyes and seeing so much more that is out there that was unknown. I’ve under quite a few of these women conductors and they have what it takes.
What are the names of the allegedly talented women that have always been overlooked because of their gender?
Please share?
I am in full support of Yannick’s/POA’s WOMEN NOW agenda:
1)
I have decided to not renew my Philly subscription, nor plan to hear this orchestra again for a really long time.
Yielding my seat will give women more opportunity to be in attendance.
2)
I will boycott all Philly concerts until
a) at least 50% women musicians are on the stage, and
b) at least 50% of the conductors are female, and
c) at least 50% of the works on the season program are composed by female.
WOMEN NOW. BRAVO!
I don’t understand these comments. Yashima’s a good conductor. Why assume she is not?