Women with batons
January 16, 2012
There are just four women who have managed to take the podium at the front of professional German orchestras.
German Romely Pfund conducts the State Theater Orchestra in Mecklenburg, Catherine Rückwardt from Los Angeles has been conducting the Mainz State Theater Orchestra since 2006, Australian Simone Young is the musical director of Hamburg's State Opera and American Karen Kamensek was recently appointed music director of the Hanover Opera.
Finding women in top jobs at Germany's orchestral and operatic institutions is equally difficult, though there are a few exceptions. Ulrike Hessler is the director general of the Dresden Opera and Andrea Moses, Andrea Breth and Vera Nemirova are all women directors who have all managed to climb to the top their professions. And when the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising appointed Lucia Hinz as its musical director, the church received much praise from feminists all over Germany.
But a closer look at the statistics reveals that women sometimes face unfair treatment in the music profession. When the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra recently searched for a new conductor to replace Christian Thielemann, only two of the nearly 60 candidates were women.
New reference books about conductors don't even include the name of a single woman conductor.
Lion tamer or high priestess
Karen Kamensek chose Richard Strauss' "Ariadne auf Naxos" for her debut at the Hanover Opera House. This opera, renowned for its portrayal of various female characters, was a symbolic choice. Asked which of the heroines she identified with most - the tragic Ariadne or the cheeky Zerbinetta - Kamensek confided that she understood both characters but pointed out that in her position other qualities were more important when dealing with 120 highly professional musicians, most of whom are men.
Some compare the job of a conductor with a circus director or lion tamer - so it's not surprising that many conductors suffer from back problems. When asked about her profession, Estonian conductor Anu Tali said she believed many women would not want the job.
"You live out of a suitcase and don't have time to set up a home or for family," she said. "You are constantly under pressure and not always able to be nice to colleagues or the public."
She added that "it would help if we had to think less about whether we are a man or women and more about how we are all human beings."
On the increase
Despite the difficulties the occupation presents, Europe's music conservatories have reported an increase in the number of women in their conducting classes. Many believe it is only a matter of time before more women will be at the front of orchestras.
However, quotas for female conductors have largely been rejected by the women in the job.
"That would be ridiculous," said Anu Tali, adding that competence is enough to achieve success. Audiences will soon get used to seeing someone without a beard on the podium.
And even though the standard dress for women conductors is still tails, this too might soon change.
Author: Anastassia Boutsko / bos
Editor: Kate Bowen