Only 5 women apply for Solti grants
UncategorizedThe Solti Foundation U.S. has named 18 young American conductors to receive Career Assistance Awards. Of 50 applicants just five were women.
The successful candidates are: Nathan Blair, Elias Brown, Austin Chanu, Maurice Cohn, Conner Gray Covington, Michelle Di Russo, Nathaniel Efthimiou, Stefano Flavoni, Kyrian Friedenberg, Taichi Fukumura, Gerald Karni, Andrew J. Kim, Benjamin Manis, Jacob Niemann, Tristan Rais-Sherman, Euan Shields, Matthew Straw, and William Garfield Walker.
The only woman, Michelle Di Russo from Argentina, is a Dudamel Fellow with the LA Philharmonic.
Nobody should blame women for wanting nothing to do with this organization, and it shouldn’t be a surprise that only 5 women applied. Year in and year out, this organization proves that they’re simply not interested in awarding career assistance to women at the same rate as to men. Last year, too, only one woman was awarded. There was also substantial outcry about it at that time, so it’s striking that this year is the same.
The fact that their press release essentially blames women for the fact that there’s only one woman awardee says it all. They could instead be introspective about what they could be doing better themselves, and whether they are even fulfilling their mission.
To that point, on top of the absolutely dismal record this organization has in their support for women (or not), it also seems confused in its basic mission. Supposedly these awards are for American conductors, but a substantial amount of the time these awards (and the main Solti Grant which is a much larger award) don’t even go to American conductors, or conductors who aren’t even living/working in the US. Even on the list above are several who live and work in Europe nearly or entirely exclusively, and a review of past awardees (of both prizes) will yield many winners who aren’t even American in the first place. So are they even fulfilling their stated mission of supporting American conductors? Perhaps they have expanded the definition of “American” to people with permanent or temporary residency. That’s fine of course. But again, many of their winners don’t even live/work in the US. Very confusing as to what they’re trying to do. So anyway, why should American women spend the time applying to a foundation that has a record of not being welcoming to them, and which also seems confused about what they’re even trying to accomplish in the first place?
These are “Career Assistance Awards.” Ironically, given the disparity between the amount of men and women on the podium, one would think that there would be special incentive to this organization to actively seek out and give financial assistance to talented women who may need that financial support (and organizational recognition) more than their male colleagues. And many of the (male) winners are multi-consecutive-year awardees. What a missed opportunity.
It costs money to apply for these awards, by the way.
Many congrats to Michelle di Russo!
“[…] given the disparity between the amount of men and women on the podium, one would think that there would be special incentive to this organization to actively seek out and give financial assistance to talented women who may need that financial support (and organizational recognition) more than their male colleagues. And many of the (male) winners are multi-consecutive-year awardees”.
I am assuming that they criteria for the awards is talent, and that the gentlemen who received the grants where chosen for their talent, as was the lady. You are saying that the primary criteria should not be talent and need, but genitalia, and that more women – regardless if their male competitors are more talented – should have received the award JUST because they are female.
The irony of this person whining about an award having high standards for their applicants AND not giving it to “American” conductors while congratulating Michelle di Russo who is a “Latin American Conductor”…
What do you see as an American? is it someone who looks and feels non-foreign to you?
I guess at the end of the day, they just don’t know conductors work internationally and awards are given based on merit/talent and not gender.
I predict Michelle Di Russo will go far like another Dudamel Fellow — Mirga.
Wuih al due respect, I doubt it. Maestra Gražinytė-Tyla is working – at a similar age as Ms Di Russo – in a different league. I have seen them both, and I don’t think Ms Di Russo will have 15% of the career of Maestra Gražinytė, even if Ms Di Russo had the very best conducting godfathers.