SUMMER 2020 n $6.95 symphonyTHE MAGAZINE OF THE LEAGUE OF AMERICAN ORCHESTRAS 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 Symphony Orchestra’s principal guest conductor, leads the DSO at Meyerson Symphony Center. Sylvia Elzafon The good news: more women are getting high-profile jobs conducting 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 Youth Orchestra concert 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 musicians, 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 musician her conducting baton. In tor at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the 2017, New invited De Geest to a St. Louis first woman to hold that title there; serves Symphony Youth Orchestra rehearsal, and as music 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 Marin Alsop leads the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. In addition to serving as music director 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 rehearsals, 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 Classical Music 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 Opera. 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 composers, 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 Women in Classical Music 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- composer 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 Doctor of Musical Arts Philharmonic’s longtime music that matter the degree in Orchestral director. She concludes her 27-year most. At symphony Conducting from the Juilliard School, 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.