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Home , Conducting, Marin Alsop, Music director, Simone Young, Women in classical music

SUMMER 2020 n $6.95 symphonyTHE MAGAZINE OF THE LEAGUE OF AMERICAN

Where We Are Now Orchestras are seeking new ways forward amid the global pandemic and concerns about racial injustice

Orchestras and Pandemics: Women Conductors Anti-Black Discrimination 1918 and 2020 On the Rise at U.S. Orchestras It’s About Time

Gemma New, the Dallas ’s principal guest conductor, leads the DSO at Meyerson Symphony Center. Sylvia Elzafon The good news: more women are getting high-profile jobs orchestras. The bad news: it’s not yet time to retire the phrase “glass ceiling” for once and for all. Will we get there, and if so, when? by Jennifer Melick

n 2016, a ten-year-old violinist named St. Louis Symphony’s blog, “She has so Madeline de Geest went to a St. Louis much energy and potential. She reminded ISymphony me of myself when I was that age.” Since led by Gemma New, who had just been then, De Geest joined the SLSYO as one appointed the St. Louis Symphony’s resi- of its youngest , and New’s pro- dent conductor. De Geest, enthralled, file has continued to rise. In addition to came backstage after the performance to her St. Louis position, which concluded in ask for an autograph, and New gave the May, New is now principal guest conduc- young her conducting . In tor at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the 2017, New invited De Geest to a St. Louis first to hold that title there; serves Symphony Youth Orchestra , and as director of Canada’s Hamilton De Geest brought her violin and music Philharmonic Orchestra; and has a full folder. New commented at the time in the slate of guest conducting engagements.

38 symphony SUMMER 2020 leads the Symphony Orchestra. In addition to serving as in Baltimore, she is chief conductor of the Ravinia Festival in Illinois and Austria’s ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra. Alsop has mentored many women conductors through the Taki Concordia Conducting Fellowship program she established in 2002. “Fifty years ago, it was very rare that you would have a female conductor,” New told me recently. “So to get the experi- ence, to be at a level where it’s comfort- able, that is going to take time. You don’t want to push anyone into a situation, but you want to make sure that the opportu- nity—depending on the level—is equal. In St. Louis, there is a boy, Logan, I think he must be eleven or ten. He said he was really inspired by a St. Louis Symphony Orchestra concert and wanted to become a conductor. He comes to so many of the , he has scores, he always asks questions. He’s been conducting at a high school now. I’m really proud of Madeline and Logan. It’s very inspiring. I like to Mariana Garcia welcome everyone to the table. When I relate to someone and have a strong rela- assistant conductor at Australia’s Mel- Brainstorming Solutions, Pondering tionship with them, it’s because we have bourne Symphony Orchestra, principal Numbers a kindred personality—it’s not because of conductor of the St. Woolos Sinfonia in Alsop is not the only one frustrated by their gender.” Wales, and the first woman to serve as the pace of change when it comes to women holding top posts in the classi- cal field.Last November, Kim Noltemy, Conductor Nicole Paiement: the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s presi- “I never thought of myself dent and CEO, decided to address the as a woman conductor. I situation by hosting the DSO’s inaugural Women in Symposium. was attracted to conducting At that three-day event, women from all because of my deep love of over the U.S.—and some men—gath- music.” ered to brainstorm ways to get more women into leadership roles. “Orchestras

Courtesy San Francisco Conservatory of Music in general are a little slower keeping up with the pace of change in society. That New may modestly downplay being conductor in residence with the Welsh is something that we all think about, a role model for young female conduc- National . But it’s easy to imag- and try to find the right way to address,” tors, but seeing this 33-year-old New ine there might be a lot more like Tianyi Noltemy said in opening remarks at the Zealand native in action on the podium Lu, if there were more role makes a powerful statement on its own. models. She is not flamboyant. She speaks quietly. The growing list of wom- But she has an authority that is instantly en holding assistant, associ- communicated to the musicians and the ate, resident, and principal audience; watching her clear beat, even guest conductor positions is in complex new works, is like seeing encouraging. But the num- the architecture of a score turned inside ber of women music direc- out. All her energy goes into getting the tors at larger-budget orches- sound she wants from the musicians— tras seems to inch up ever so who return the favor by playing their slowly. “When I started con- hearts out for her. Not everyone gets to ducting,” Baltimore Sym- see the example of a Gemma New on the phony Orchestra Music Di- podium when they are growing up. An- rector Marin Alsop quipped other conductor on the rise, Tianyi Lu, in Billboard in December, “I

30, has said that when she first contem- assumed there were going to Antony Potts plated a conducting career, “I had never be a lot of women doing it Tianyi Lu is assistant conductor of Australia’s Melbourne seen a woman conduct a professional or- pretty soon. Five years went Symphony Orchestra; in Wales, she is principal conductor of the chestra before.” Despite that, she is mak- by, and then ten, and I was St. Woolos Sinfonia and conductor in residence with the Welsh ing a name for herself: currently she’s an like, ‘Where is everybody?’ ” National Opera. americanorchestras.org 39 Jeri Lynne Johnson conducts the Philadelphia-based Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, which she founded in 2008. Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy Women’s

In May 2019, the nonprofit Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy surveyed 21 U.S. orchestras’ 2019-20 season announcements. Of those 21 orchestras, there was a total of 142 conductors Courtesy Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra (including guest conductors), sixteen of whom were women.

symposium. The gathering for , sic conductors and administrative leaders, be very common in women in the classical performers, orchestra administrators, art- and conducting opportunities. field, judging from the number of people ist managers, and conductors was timed Themes that came up over and over at who brought it up in Dallas. “I suffer from to overlap with the neighboring Dallas the Dallas Symphony Orchestra sympo- extreme perfectionism,” Noltemy admit- ted when we spoke last fall. “I follow up on Dallas Symphony Orchestra everything. If I say President and CEO Kim Noltemy I’ll do something, speaks at the organization’s I do it. I always apologize for not 2019 doing things fast Symposium, designed to help enough. I believe get more women into leadership words matter, and committing to do positions, including on the things matters.” By podium. Sylvia Elzafon hosting the sympo- sium, says Noltemy, Anna Ablogina Opera’s annual Hart Institute for Wom- sium included the importance of having “We’re kind of just Conductor and en Conductors, which includes master mentors, male or female, who provide sup- reorganizing peo- Victoria Bond, who in 1977 classes, seminars, one-on-one meetings port in the right ways, and not always aim- ple’s priorities. You became the first with prominent opera and classical-mu- ing for absolute perfection, which seems to need to spend your woman to receive a JoAnn Falletta is the Buffalo time on the things Philharmonic’s longtime music that matter the degree in Orchestral director. She concludes her 27-year most. At symphony Conducting from the , tenure as music director of the orchestras, we need says when she was Virginia Symphony Orchestra in to focus on what June 2020. studying conducting our real priorities there were very few are.” female role models. The DSO sym- posium included panel discussions on topics including “Changing the Script of Women in Classical Music,” “Pathways for Change,” and “Practical Next Steps”; an hourlong “speed-dating” session for mentors and mentees; and achievement and career-advancement awards for vo- calists Dawn Upshaw and Lucy Dhegrae, who gave inspiring, frank talks about the challenges they have faced during their careers. Other discussions at the Dal-

40 symphony SUMMER 2020 Chicago Sinfonietta Music Director Mei-Ann Chen were hotly debated. It was which means you clear that there was a hun- need a large num- ger for people to tell their ber of women con- stories, to be listened to, ducting orchestras and to learn from others. of all sizes in order When it comes to to increase the pool women conductors, the of women who can big barrier is the “glass advance to the next ceiling,” namely the small level. percentage of women There are, in fact, Lina Gonzalez- music directors at large- many women music Granados has budget orchestras. Last directors at mid- held conducting fellowships at

Rosalie O’Connor spring, the Women’s Phil- size and smaller the Philadelphia harmonic Advocacy—a orchestras. A very Orchestra, Seattle las symposium centered around building nonprofit that advocates for performances partial list would Symphony, and and maintaining relationships through- of music written by women and collects include the Chi- Chicago Symphony out careers; and pushing the field to be- data about women composers and conduc- cago Sinfonietta Orchestra. In 2014, come more open to risk. In informal chats, tors—surveyed 21 U.S. orchestras’ 2019-20 (Mei-Ann Chen), she founded Unitas Ensemble, which people spoke candidly about the career season announcements. Of those 21 or- Chattanooga Sym- focuses on music frustrations and successes they have expe- chestras, there was a total of 142 conduc- phony Orchestra by Latin American rienced. In her talk, Dawn Upshaw spoke tors (including guest conductors), sixteen (Kayoko Dan), composers. about the moment she discovered she was of whom were women. That comes to just Symphony Taco- being paid far less as a vocal pedagogue over 11 percent. Those numbers are in great ma (Sarah Ioanni- than an equivalent position held by a male contrast to the pool of musicians at profes- des), Reno Philharmonic (Laura Jackson), colleague at the same university. During a sional U.S. orchestras, where the intro- Hartford Symphony Orchestra (Carolyn panel discussion called “Employability and duction of blind in the 1970s is Kuan), and Allentown Symphony Or- Career Pathway Development for Musi- credited with helping increase the number chestra (Diane Wittry). But attention cians and Administrators,” Katie Wyatt, of women orchestra musicians to where it generally focuses on the larger orchestras: president and CEO of USA, is today, at close to parity with male musi- Marin Alsop at the shared a similar story about pay disparities cians. But there is no such thing as a blind Baltimore Sym- in one of her previous jobs. During coffee conducting , and you need podium phony Orchestra breaks, inadequate family leave policies time and mentorship to get better at it, and JoAnn Fal- letta at the Buffalo Philharmonic and Lidiya Yankovskaya is among an increasing number of conductors forming their own Virginia Symphony orchestras while balancing guest-conducting are, for many peo- and staff positions at other orchestras. Below, ple, the two names Yankovskaya conducts the Nashville Symphony on the radar. Alsop at the League of American Orchestras’ 2018 and Falletta have Allentown Symphony National Conductor Preview. earned that rec- Orchestra Music ognition and have Director Diane Wittry accomplished great things, but it would be nice to see media and critical attention spread out more widely in the field. Over the past five to ten years, there have been real reasons for optimism, one of them being the many women hired for assistant, associate, resident, or prin- cipal guest conductor positions like the ones Gemma New has held in St. Louis and Dallas. These positions provide the necessary experience, training, and vis- ibility to be considered for bigger posts. On U.S. podiums, some names include Susanna Mälkki, the Los Angeles Phil- Kathleen Munkel harmonic’s principal guest conductor; americanorchestras.org 41 Symphony Tacoma Music Director Sarah Ioannides

Mentors, Misconceptions have, and maybe that’s from their up- Marin Alsop has mentored many women bringing.” Her advice: “Focus on the score.

Kayoko Dan, music director of the conductors through her Taki Concordia If you’re prepared, if you know what you Chattanooga Symphony and Opera since Conducting Fellowship program, estab- want, there’s a reason why you’re on the 2011, is the first woman to hold that title at the lished in 2002, and the list of alumnae is podium. It’s because you have something orchestra. impressive, with many serving as music to say with that score. Musicians will re- directors at U.S. orchestras. Another active Erina Yashima, assistant conductor at the mentor for the next generation of conduc- ; Anna Rakatina, tors is Nicole Paiement, Dallas Opera’s assistant conductor at the Boston Sym- principal guest conductor and founder/ phony Orchestra; Katharina Wincor and artistic director of San Francisco’s Opera Ruth Reinhardt as assistant conductors Parallèle, who since 2015 has given master at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra; and classes at the Dallas Opera’s annual Hart at the Minnesota Orchestra, Sarah Hicks Institute for Women Conductors. as principal conductor of the Live at Or- “There are a lot of women conductors chestra Hall series and Akiko Fujimoto out there who are going to make a dif- as associate conductor. In recent years, ference,” Paiement points out. In Dallas, participants in the League of American Paiement says, “As I work with women Orchestras’ long-running Bruno Walter conductors, I look at who they are and

Conducting Preview have been pretty try to empower who they are.” Some- Sylvia Elzafon

evenly split between men and women, times, Paiement says she sees “extremely Ruth Reinhardt, with an active guest which was not always the case in earlier talented women who might not have the conducting career in the U.S. and decades. confidence that sometimes a man would Europe, got her start with assistant conductor and fellowship positions at multiple U.S. orchestras, often considered stepping stones to a full- time music directorship.

spect you, because they realize that you’re adding to the process.” For her own part, she says, “I never thought of myself as a woman conductor. I was attracted to con- ducting because of my deep love of music. Conducting came to me easily. In basic conducting classes, I was told by faculty, you should pursue this. Even at that age my male professors did not say, ‘Oh well, you’re a woman.’ I think that was a key to my success. I’m always extremely aware of the privilege of being on that podium. I need to have something to say, otherwise there’s no reason why I’m here.” Ben Torres One persistent problem, like a mos- Dallas Symphony Orchestra Assistant Conductor Katharina Wincor leads the orchestra’s 30th- quito that just won’t go away: even in the anniversary concert at Meyerson Symphony Center, September 4, 2019. modern age, there are prominent classical

42 symphony SUMMER 2020 Hartford Symphony Orchestra Music musicians who openly question whether Director Carolyn Kuan women belong on the podium at all. Not that long ago, we read that “musicians re- act better when they have a man in front of them” (conductor Vasily Petrenko), “the majority of female students would simply not be interested in the career of conduc- tor, which is incompatible with family life and requires a lot of physical effort” (Bru- no Mantovani, then director of the Con- servatoire National Supérieur de Paris), and “the essence of the conductor’s profes-

sion is strength—the essence of a woman Symphony Courtesy Hartford is weakness” (conductor ). These statements were not made a century cause in his posters he looked about seven ments. In December, was ago—they are from 2013. feet tall. When Yannick Nézet-Séguin gets named chief conductor of Australia’s Temirkanov’s “strength” comment re- up on stage with these enormous opera Symphony Orchestra. The same veals that there are some people who still singers, it’s a comical picture, but it’s not month, Eun Sun Kim was appointed mu- regard women as being less physically able your size that determines your strength.” sic director of the San Francisco Opera. She says in In February, Mélisse Brunet was tapped “In classical music, we don’t Pittsburgh back as music director of the Northeastern in the 1970s, Pennsylvania Philharmonic. In April, the instinctively give a chance “people did not Richmond Symphony selected Italy’s Va- to people who are different, feel obliged to be lentina Peleggi as its next music director, new. But that is beginning to politically cor- and American conductor Karina Canel- rect. I’ve kept all lakis was announced as the London Phil- change,” says artist manager of those articles, harmonia’s next principal guest conductor; and documentary filmmaker those demean- Canellakis was also recently named chief Anastasia Boudanoque. ing, patronizing conductor of the Netherlands Philhar-

Dmitry Masleev articles. I think monic. This is not a comprehensive list. they will be to do the job of a conductor. Compared of great historical interest at some point The “Mirga Effect” and the “Xian with Americans, Russians tend to speak when people say, ‘Women were always Effect” more bluntly and with less regard for polit- treated equally well.’ It ain’t necessarily so.” There are two music directors—Mirga ical correctness, which makes you wonder This winter and spring brought a flurry Gražinytė-Tyla and Xian Zhang—who how much more prevalent these attitudes of high-profile music director announce- for several years have been attracting the

are in more politically correct places, where Susanna Mälkki conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the Ravinia Festival. Mälkki is they might go unspoken. Conductor and principal guest conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and chief conductor of Finland’s composer Victoria Bond, the first woman Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra. to be awarded a doctorate in orchestral conducting from the Juilliard School, in 1977, says the only real female role mod- els when she was doing postgraduate work at Juilliard were Eve Queler and Sarah Caldwell. Bond got her professional con- ducting start as music director of the Pitts- burgh Youth Orchestra in 1977. “I was told

over and over when somebody came back- Jiyang Chen stage to shake my hand or congratulate me after a performance, ‘Oh, you’re so small. We thought you were tall,’ ” Bond recalls. “On that podium, you look tall no matter what,” Bond says. “Let’s talk about men who are iconic conductors, like , like , like . They’re all short men. I didn’t realize that at first about von Karajan be- Patrick Gipson americanorchestras.org 43 Reno Philharmonic Music Director Laura Jackson

kind of substantial media attention and New Jersey Sym- At the Aldeburgh Festival in 2017, Mirga Gražinyte-Tyla conducts the critical praise that could alter broader per- phony Orchestra U.K.’s City of Birmingham Orchestra, of which she is music director. ceptions about women on the podium. in 2015, and now Gražinyte-Tyla held assistant and associate conductor positions at the Los Gražinytė-Tyla, a native of Lithuania who people talk about Angeles Philharmonic from 2014 to 2017. held assistant and associate conductor po- “the Xian effect.” sitions at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Multifaceted mu- from 2014 to 2017, has made a rapid ar- sicians like Canada’s , conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya serves as tistic rise. In 2016, she was named music who maintains active careers as a soprano Chicago Opera Theater’s music director director of the U.K.’s City of Birmingham and as a conductor, are creating less tradi- and does a lot of guest conducting. In Symphony Orchestra. These days, people tional podium paths for themselves. May- 2016 she founded the New York City- refer to her as just “Mirga,” putting her in be part of the “effect” of these conductors based Refugee Orchestra Project, whose the company of podium superstars Bern- will be to shape our views of who belongs musicians are instrumentalists and singers stein (“Lenny”) and Dudamel (“Gustavo”). on the podium—and what the role of a whose families fled to the Observers describe “the Mirga effect” for conductor is in the first place. to escape violence and persecution. Lina the electricity she brings to performanc- Some women are not waiting to get Gonzalez-Granados—who has served as es. The high-energy Zhang, a native of hired for big appointments to make a conducting fellow at the Philadelphia China, also has been rapturously received things happen, taking a more entrepre- Orchestra and Seattle Symphony and as since being named music director of the neurial approach. Russian-American Sir George Solti Conducting Appren- tice of the Chicago Sym- phony Orchestra—in 2014 founded Unitas Ensemble, which focuses on music by Latin American composers. Jeri Lynne Johnson in 2007 formed the Philadelphia- based Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, a professional orchestra of diverse musi- cians with a mission of at- tracting new audiences to classical music with high- quality performances, in- novative programming, and partnerships with Phila- delphia’s cultural and edu- cational institutions. After the finals of one unsuccess- ful conducting audition, In April 2020, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra posted a video of its virtual performance of The Firebird on its she told me several years YouTube page, with Music Director JoAnn Falletta (center) leading the ensemble. ago, Johnson was informed

44 symphony SUMMER 2020 Xian Zhang leads the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, where she was named music director in 2015. we don’t instinctively Women in Classical Music symposium, give a chance to peo- where composer Katherine Balch and ple who are different, Deborah Borda, president and CEO of new. But that is be- the , will also re- ginning to change,” ceive awards, and session topics will in- said artist manager clude “Motherhood and Music,” “Music and documentary and Wellness,” and “Breaking Barriers.” filmmaker Anastasia As League of American Orchestras Boudanoque at the President and CEO Jesse Rosen pointed Dallas Symphony’s out at the Dallas symposium last Novem- symposium last fall. ber, more women on the podium is not Perhaps things have just the right thing to do; it’s the smart changed since 2013, thing to do: “Bringing women into lead- when violinist Hilary ership roles on podiums, onstage, in the Hahn said she could board room, on staff, along with many “probably count on other underrepresented populations in our one hand the number country—this needs to be at the center of female conductors of the work of people in orchestras. We I’ve worked with, and need everybody at that table. We cannot that’s over 20 years be as good as we can be without women, of performing with without African Americans, without every orchestras.” This No- kind of person who lives in this country. vember, Hahn will be We need them.” one of three women honored at the Dallas JENNIFER MELICK is managing editor of Fred Stucker Fred Symphony’s second Symphony.

point blank that she “didn’t look like what their audiences expected a conduc- tor to look like.” One note: the interviews in this ar- ticle took place before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. It seems likely that during this period, certain trends already under- way in the classical field will be acceler- ated. One of these is the increasing use of tech, without which we would not all be watching “” at all at the moment: Mahler and Copland and Bach and even newly commissioned works, live- streamed and performed from musicians’ “Their voices blend and soar majestically like eagles!” The Tony-nominated Callaway homes. This time must be profoundly – Rex Reed, The New York Observer sisters are raising the roof with disorienting for conductors, normally the their new show Broadway with the most visible faces on the orchestra stage, Callaways! Liz and Ann Hampton when they cannot perform one of the “Capacity houses are screaming themselves hoarse Callaway provide an evening of most important parts of their regular job. for the sisters Callaway, not just at the curtain call wit, humor, and the soaring When public concerts resume, will our but throughout the entire evening of indisputable, expectations of who belongs on the po- sounds of Broadway’s greatest irrefutable, magical, musical, melodious, harmonious dium change, after a period of reliance on including showstoppers video screens and close-up views? Will perfection...Liz Callaway and Ann Hampton Callaway from West Side Story, Chicago, that throw into clearer focus the gender are the best sister act of all time, officially.” Funny Girl, Cats, Gypsy, Wicked gap on the podium? –Stephen Mosher, Broadway World and more. Many people in the classical-music field hope a new wave of female music di- Marilyn Rosen/Marilyn Rosen Presents rector appointments will usher in broader e: [email protected] • t: 617-901-9580 • marilynrosenpresents.com changes to bring the male-to-female ra- tio closer to 50/50.“In classical music, americanorchestras.org 45