“Marin Alsop and Haifaa al-Mansour … broke the glass ceilings in their own fields and got commended for it at the World Economic Forum on Monday,” reports Alexandra Gibbs at Tuesday’s (1/22) CNBC.com. “Along with fellow recipient, naturalist David Attenborough, conductor and violinist Alsop and independent filmmaker al-Mansour were each presented with an award for their significant contributions to improving the state of the world, at the 25th Crystal Awards in Davos. Both women … endorse a similar message: art and culture should be accessible to everyone… For Marin Alsop … growing up she was frequently told by others that ‘girls can’t do’ conducting. With the support of her parents and her non-musical mentor Tomio Taki, however … Alsop continued to pursue her ambitions.… Speaking in Davos, Alsop [said], ‘I firmly believe that art has the capacity to transform lives and that every human being deserves access to this transformative world of possibility.’ ” As music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Alsop “created OrchKids, a music program that aims to nurture young individuals in Baltimore City neighborhoods, whilst establishing social change. She’s also founded the Taki Concordia Conducting Fellowship, which is designed to encourage female conductors at the start of their careers.”
Posted January 23, 2019
