There has been much discussion in the last 50 years or so about gender equality in conducting, particularly with increased awareness and intensity in the last decade. But the big question is whether this is still an issue in 2019. Despite there finally having been a first female conductor conducting the Last Night of the Proms (Marin Alsop 2013) and the First Night of the Proms (Karina Canellakis 2019), the fact that there are still ‘firsts’ going on indicates that society hasn’t changed enough.

A large factor that influences conductors in society is the way they are represented in the press. It harks back to traditional terminology such as ‘concertmaster’, used commonly still in Europe and is more well-known in the UK as the leader of the orchestra. This gender specific word connotes the leader of the orchestra as male and this inconsistency of terminology carries through to today. ‘Female conductors’: we see this frequently in articles, on social media, TV coverage etc. A conductor, ‘a person who directs the performance of an orchestra or choir’, is not a gender specific word. So why have the media and society felt the necessity to put a label on ‘female conductors’ as if the default conductor is male? Another issue of terminology in the press is a lot of female conductors are constantly being referred to by their first name, instead of their surname like all male conductors would. For example, Rattle and Bernstein not Simon and Leonard whereas it would be Marta and Sian instead of Gardolińska and Edwards. This language slip that is happening in the press subconsciously markets ‘female’ conductors wrongly and creates a larger barrier. This problem also occurs for composers for example Robert Schumann being marketed as ‘Schumann’ in programmes, however if any of Clara Schumann’s compositions were programmed her full name would be detailed. This proves the point that the surname ‘Schumann’ is always (wrongly!) defaulted to the male Robert.

Additionally, through research I have discovered the label of gender often overshadows the talent of many conductors. Rather than solely being judged on how good you are as a conductor on the podium, females can be the subject to a realm of additional judging, based on ‘What is she wearing? What does she look like?’ Furthermore, the interpretation of gestures can also be gender biased. Some may expect more graceful, feminine movements from a woman and question their capability of performing a large and powerful Mahler symphony! The decision of repertoire also takes careful consideration, trying to find a niche, whilst also avoiding criticism for jumping on the bandwagon of doing standard repertoire and being shot down for having your own interpretation of it. These different factors, though some female conductors may not feel subject to this, chip away and create an extra psychological barrier for female conductors to get over in order to prove their own ability. 

There is, however, the difficult question of whether there should be a quota in orchestras, music festivals and arts organisations across the world to provide a completely equal gender split? Should orchestras and arts organisations consciously make the decision to programme male and female conductors and composers on a complete 50-50 basis? Some are already pledging to achieve this, including the BBC Proms, the world’s largest classical music festival, who is aiming to have a complete 50-50 gender balance for contemporary composers by 2022. There are also popular music festivals in the UK that are adopting this pledge to support female artists in the music industry. However great this vow is, there is also concern surrounding this. There is the risk that by having to ‘tick a box’, we are not giving the most talented people the work. If someone has worked very hard and is technically more advanced, gender shouldn’t make that decision of who gets the job. This consequently has the danger of being discriminatory towards males. This then ends up being positive discrimination which devalues men and women and quite frankly, we do not want to get to a stage where the barrier has been built up so much between men and women that this creates an even deeper societal issue.

In conclusion, whilst we are aware that the diversity of orchestras is changing and compared to 50 years ago is in a much better place, there still remains a misrepresentation in the press and in society of conductors that are female. This can occur through incorrect terminology or the way they are perceived on the podium. There is, however, a plethora of support and opportunities for young conductors nowadays, with masterclasses with the RPS and Young Conductor positions in orchestras, as well as plenty of incredible role models. But it all starts with the grass roots organisations and youth orchestras; having encouraging mentors to spot talent and to be able to give support on how to develop. Society is ever changing and growing in a positive way and awareness is at an all-time high which will help this shift of gender inequality in music. But success will have truly been reached when we don’t feel the need to talk about it any longer. 

Thanks to those that supported me with my research.
- Jess Craig