Marin Alsop.
In last Monday’s (4/21) Times (London), David Sanderson writes, “The world’s leading female conductor has said that there is a plateauing in the fight for equality [at orchestras] as she prepares to bring an opera based on Billie Jean King’s epic Battle of the Sexes to Britain. Marin Alsop said that there were still ‘archaic, old-fashioned views’ that women could not conduct and revealed her shock at this response from even young male conductors when she first took the helm for the Last Night of the Proms. Alsop was speaking as it was confirmed that she will conduct the world premiere orchestral version of Laura Karpman’s opera Balls, which tells the story of King’s 1973 tennis victory over the male player Bobby Riggs. The production is one of the highlights of the 80th anniversary season of the London-based Philharmonia orchestra, for which Alsop is principal guest conductor…. The American, who in 2013 became the first woman to conduct the Last Night of the Proms, added: ‘There’s often a push forward and then a plateau and then hopefully another push forward and sometimes a regression…. We have to count our progress and join arms and push forward.’… Balls is one of several commissions by the Philharmonia for its anniversary season … The orchestra, which is resident at the Southbank Centre, is offering 80 free tickets for every London concert to first-timers.”
Alsop will receive the League of American Orchestras’ highest honor, the Gold Baton award, at the Opening Session of the League’s 2025 National Conference in June. Learn more at https://leagueconference.org/conference-highlights/#general.
