From left: conductors Jeri Lynne Johnson, Gemma New, JoAnn Falletta, Marin Alsop, Xian Zhang
“For years, they have worked their way to the top of the classical music industry,” writes Javier C. Hernández in Friday’s (9/10) New York Times. “They have confronted stereotypes that they are too weak to lead. They have shared advice about how to deal with sexist comments and even how to dress. Now a group of women could be on the cusp of breaking barriers in one of music’s most stubbornly homogeneous spheres: the male-dominated world of orchestral conducting. In the history of American orchestras, only one woman has risen to lead a top-tier ensemble: Marin Alsop, whose tenure as music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra ended last month…. Among the 25 largest ensembles, there are now no women serving as music directors…. Alsop said she feels the current moment could be different, since the #MeToo movement and a broad reckoning over severe gender and racial disparities in classical music are putting pressure on arts leaders…. Administrators at major ensembles … are vowing to ensure that women are serious contenders…. Across 174 American ensembles of all sizes, about 9 percent of music directors were women in 2016 … according to the League of American Orchestras…. While it may take several years for widespread change to come, some women say they are already noticing a shift.”
