{"id":38287,"date":"2024-01-31T12:12:25","date_gmt":"2024-01-31T11:12:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ffb54589-561f-4a83-8c3c-898821ba8da8"},"modified":"2024-01-31T12:40:00","modified_gmt":"2024-01-31T11:40:00","slug":"the-best-female-conductors","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/the-best-female-conductors\/","title":{"rendered":"The best female conductors"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By BBC Music Magazine\n <\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 31 January 2024 at 11:12 AM<\/p>

\n\n

The question ‘why aren’t there more women conductors?’ remains as relevant in today’s music industry as it always has been. There are several women, though, whose work against this trend has been instrumental in getting superb female conductors seen on the podiums of the world’s greatest stages and they are worth celebrating. Here are the best female conductors on stage today. <\/strong><\/p>

Best women conductors working today<\/h2>
1. Marin Alsop<\/h3>
Marin Alsop<\/a><\/strong> made history when she became the first female conductor of a major US symphony orchestra when appointed to the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra<\/strong> in 2007. Six years later she made history again when she became the first ever woman to conduct the Last Night of the Proms<\/a><\/strong>. <\/p>
In 2023, the Philharmonia Orchestra in London announced that Marin Alsop had been appointed principal guest conductor<\/a><\/strong>. She joined the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2024<\/a><\/strong> in the same position, taking over from Nathalier Stutzmann.<\/p>
10 female composers you should know<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul>
2. Gis\u00e8le Ben-Dor<\/h3>
Currently conductor laureate of the Santa Barbara Symphony<\/strong>, the Uruguayan conductor has won particular praise for her performances of South American works.<\/p>
<\/div><\/figure><ul><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/six-best-orchestral-players\"><strong>Six of the best orchestral players<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><h3 id=\"h-3-odaline-de-la-martinez\">3. Odaline de la Martinez<\/h3><p>Martinez is the conductor who holds the historic record for being the first woman <em>ever<\/em> to conduct at the BBC Proms in 1984. The Cuban-born musician is founder of contemporary music ensemble Lontano, and appears as a guest conductor with leading orchestras around the world. <\/p><ul><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/best-contemporary-female-composers\"><strong>9 of the best contemporary female composers<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><h3 id=\"h-4-sian-edwards\">4. Sian Edwards<\/h3><p>English conductor Sian Edwards shot to prominence as music director at <strong>English National Opera<\/strong> between 1993 and 95. She conducted a programme of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/benjamin-britten-composer\">Britten<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/gustav-holst\">Holst<\/a><\/strong>, Berkeley and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/tippett-style-guide\">Tippett<\/a><\/strong> with the <strong>Britten Sinfonia<\/strong> at the 2013 Proms. She is involved in contemporary music projects and has taught and given masterclasses at the UK’s top conservatoires. <\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"><iframe title=\"Edinburgh Youth Orchestra Summer Concert 2013 Highlights\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1juLlPukz0s?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><ul><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/who-are-berlin-philharmonics-past-chief-conductors\"><strong>Who are the Berlin Philharmonic’s past chief conductors?<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><h3 id=\"h-5-joann-falletta\">5. JoAnn Falletta<\/h3><p>Music director of <strong>Buffalo Philharmonic<\/strong>, Falletta has made a reputation for herself recording important but seldom-heard works. When she was named the orchestra’s music director in 1998, Falletta became the first female conductor to lead a major American orchestra. She previously held the role of music director at the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, stepping down in 2020, and has conducted many of the top US orchestras. <\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"><iframe title=\"The Tempest - John Knowles Paine (JoAnn Falletta\/Ulster Orchestra)\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SNqHCPHMUYw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><ul><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/best-electronic-orchestral-music\"><strong>The best electronic orchestral music<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><h3 id=\"h-6-jane-glover\">6. Jane Glover<\/h3><p>The former music director of the <strong>London Mozart Players<\/strong> and <strong>Glyndebourne Touring Opera<\/strong> appeared regularly on TV in the 1980s. Currently music director of Chicago\u2019s <strong>Music of the Baroque<\/strong>, Glover is also director of opera at the <strong>Royal Academy of Music<\/strong>. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/news\/conductor-jane-glover-awarded-damehood-in-2021-new-years-honours\">She was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2021 New Years Honours for services to music<\/a><\/strong>. She has written books including <em>Mozart’s Women: His Family, His Friends, His Music <\/em>and <em>Handel in London: The Making of a Genius. <\/em>Glover is best known for her opera conducting, and in 2013 she became the third woman in history to conduct at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. <\/p><div class=\"wp-block-purple-m101-price-comparsion\"><div class=\"m101\" data-type=\"price-comparison\" data-template=\"default\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Mozarts-Women-Family-Friends-Music\/dp\/0330418580\/\" data-title=\"\" data-config=\"{"searchKeywords":"Mozarts Women Jane Glover","excludeKeywords":"","price":"12.99","delta":"50","limit":"4"}\"\/><\/div><div class=\"wp-block-purple-m101-price-comparsion\"><div class=\"m101\" data-type=\"price-comparison\" data-template=\"default\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Handel-London-Making-Jane-Glover\/dp\/1509882081\/\" data-title=\"\" data-config=\"{"searchKeywords":"Handels London Jane Glover","excludeKeywords":"","price":"11.95","delta":"50","limit":"4"}\"\/><\/div><ul><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/20-greatest-symphonies-all-time\"><strong>The 20 Greatest Symphonies of all time<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><h3 id=\"h-7-emmanuelle-haim\">7. Emmanuelle Ha\u00efm<\/h3><p>Emmanuelle Ha\u00efm is a brilliant French Baroque specialist who has set the opera world alight with her own <strong>Le Concert d\u2019Astr\u00e9e<\/strong> ensemble.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"><iframe title=\"Handel: Water Music \/ Ha\u00efm \u00b7 Berliner Philharmoniker\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/r7Ki-lH2ZdE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/six-best-works-ethel-smyth\/\"><strong>Six of the best works by Ethel Smyth<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><h3 id=\"h-8-susanna-malkki\">8. Susanna M\u00e4lkki<\/h3><p>Finnish conductor and former music director of the <strong>Ensemble intercontemporain<\/strong>, Susanna M\u00e4lkki made her debut with the <strong>Berlin Philharmonic<\/strong> in 2009. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/news\/susanna-malkki-appointed-chief-conductor-helsinki-philharmonic\">She began her tenure as chief conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic in 2016<\/a><\/strong>, and the following year <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/news\/susanna-m-lkki-appointed-principal-guest-conductor-la-philharmonic\">principal guest conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p><p>She followed Jane Glover in becoming the fourth woman in history to lead a production at the Metropolitan Opera in 2016 in the company’s first ever production of Kaija Saariaho’s <em>L’Amour de loin<\/em><\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/six-best-works-fanny-mendelssohn\/\"><strong>Six of the best works by Fanny Mendelssohn<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><h3 id=\"h-9-andrea-quinn\">9. Andrea Quinn<\/h3><p>The British conductor Andrea Quinn, former music director of <strong>The Royal Ballet<\/strong> and <strong>New York City Ballet<\/strong>, has conducted most of the world\u2019s leading ballet companies. <\/p><ul><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/six-great-contemporary-operas\"><strong>Six great contemporary operas<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><h3 id=\"h-10-simone-young\">10. Simone Young<\/h3><p>The Australian conductor Simone Young\u2019s posts have included chief conductor of <strong>Opera Australia<\/strong> and the <strong>Hamburg Philharmonic<\/strong>. She is the current chief conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the first woman to hold this role. She became familiar to TV audiences as a judge on the BBC\u2019s <em>Maestro!<\/em> TV series in 2008.<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/six-best-20th-century-british-choral-works\"><strong>Six of the best 20th-century British choral works<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><h3 id=\"h-11-xian-zhang\">11. Xian Zhang<\/h3><p>Xian Zhang became the first female conductor in a titled post with any BBC orchestra when she was announced as the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/news\/xian-zhang-named-bbc-now-principal-guest-conductor\">principal guest conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales in 2015<\/a><\/strong>. In 2019, she was announced as principal guest conductor of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. <\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"><iframe title=\"Verdi's overture - La forza del destino. BBC Proms 2013\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/CkPOVYg4Bxc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/six-best-bbc-young-musician-performances\/\"><strong>Six of the best BBC Proms world premieres<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><h3 id=\"h-12-barbara-hannigan\">12. Barbara Hannigan<\/h3><p> Already famous as a soprano, performing roles like Berg\u2019s <em>Lulu, <\/em>Handel oratorios or cutting-edge contemporary new music, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/artists\/barbara-hannigan-four-works-composed-and-dedicated-to-the-soprano-and-conductor\">Barbara Hannigan<\/a><\/strong> has also made a name for herself as a conductor, beginning in 2011 with Ligeti\u2019s <em>Mysteries of the Macabre.<\/em><\/p><ul><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/six-most-inspiring-women-music\"><strong>Six of the most inspiring women in music<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><h3 id=\"h-13-alice-farnham\">13. Alice Farnham<\/h3><p>A British conductor who trained at the St Petersburg Conservatoire, Alice Farnham has an international reputation working with the Mariinsky Theatre in Stravinsky\u2019s <em>Rape of Lucretia<\/em> and at the Royal Opera House.<\/p><p>She is keen to inspire the next generation of conducting talent and is artistic director of the Women Conductors with the Royal Philharmonic Society programme.<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/20-greatest-sopranos-all-time\"><strong>The 20 Greatest Sopranos of all time<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><h3 id=\"h-14-mirga-grazinyte-tyla\">14. Mirga Gra\u017einyt\u0117-Tyla<\/h3><p>The Lithuanian conductor made newspaper headlines when she was named as the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/news\/city-birmingham-symphony-orchestra-names-its-new-conductor\/\">new chief conductor<\/a> <\/strong>of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) in 2016, at the age of 29. She was the first woman to hold that post and only the third female chief conductor of a major British orchestra. In 2021, the CBSO announced that she would be <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/news\/mirga-grazinyte-tyla-extends-contract-with-city-of-birmingham-symphony-orchestra\">moving into the principal guest conductor position<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p><p>Previously associate conductor at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gra\u017einyt\u0117-Tyla was also music director of the Salzburg Landestheater in Austria.<\/p><p>In 2019, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/news\/conductor-mirga-grazinyte-tyla-signs-deutsche-grammophon\">Gra\u017einyt\u0117-Tyla signed exclusively to Deutsche Grammophon<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"><iframe title=\"Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla, CBSO, Barbara Hannigan, Proms 2016: Mozart, Abrahamsen, Tchaikovsky\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hjtV6R3zNxI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><ul><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/best-recordings-beethovens-symphony-no-7\"><strong>The best recordings of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><h3 id=\"h-15-elim-chan\">15. Elim Chan<\/h3><p>The <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/news\/elim-chan-becomes-first-female-winner-donatella-flick-conducting-competition\">first female winner<\/a><\/strong> of the Donatella Flick Conducting Competition, in 2014, Hong Kong-born Chan was assistant conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra from 2015-16. She has also held roles as chief conductor at Norrlands Opera in Umea, Sweden, principal guest conductor of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and was appointed a Dudamel Fellow at the LA Philharmonic.<\/p><p>She is currently chief conductor of the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra. <\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embedwrapper\"><iframe title=\"Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 - Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra led by Elim Chan - Live Concert HD\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xFf5GA2UpMs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/best-recordings-respighis-pines-rome\"><strong>The best recordings of Respighi’s <em>Pines of Rome<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><h3 id=\"h-16-han-na-chang\">16. Han-Na Chang<\/h3><p> The highly regarded cellist made the switch to conducting in 2007, and has worked with a host of prestigious orhestras. After a <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/news\/han-na-chang-resigns-qatar-philharmonic-orchestra\">bruising experience with the Qatar Philharmonic<\/a><\/strong>, she became the chief conductor of the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, the first woman to hold this position. She has since been appointed principal guest conductor of Symphoniker Hamburg \u2013 Laeiszhalle Orchester.<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/greatest-virtuosos-all-time\/\"><strong>The greatest virtuosos of all time<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><h3 id=\"h-17-joana-carneiro\">17. Joana Carneiro<\/h3><p>Portuguese Carneiro is the former music director of the <strong>Berkeley Symphony<\/strong> and principal conductor of the <strong>Orquestra Sinfonica Portuguesa<\/strong>. She came to attention with the successful UK premiere of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/john-adams\">John Adams<\/a><\/strong>‘s <em>The Gospel According to the Other Mary<\/em> at <strong>English National Opera<\/strong>. Earlier in her career she was assistant conductor with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/composers\/who-was-ethel-smyth\"><strong>Who was Ethel Smyth?<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><h3 id=\"h-18-alondra-de-la-parra\">18. Alondra de la Parra<\/h3><p> Alondra de la Parra was just 23 when she founded her own ensemble, the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas. The Mexican previously held the role of music director of the <a href=\"https:\/\/qso.com.au\/musicians\/orchestra\/guest-conductor\"><strong>Queensland Symphony Orchestra<\/strong><\/a>, the first female conductor in post at the orchestra. <\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><iframe title=\"Biograf\u00eda Alondra de la Parra\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/NQZgc9RIaYg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/div><\/figure><ul><li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/article\/best-recordings-js-bachs-brandenburg-concertos\"><strong>The best recordings of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos<\/strong><\/a><\/li><\/ul><h3 id=\"h-19-laurence-equilbey\">19. Laurence Equilbey<\/h3><p>Conductor and musical director of the historically informed <strong>Insula Orchestra<\/strong> and <strong>Accentus<\/strong> choir, Laurence Equilbey is one of France’s leading conductors. She also runs the Paris’s newest concert hall, La Seine Musicale.<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By BBC Music Magazine Published: Wednesday, 31 January 2024 at 11:12 AM The question ‘why aren’t there more women conductors?’ remains as relevant in today’s music industry as it always has been. There are several women, though, whose work against this trend has been instrumental in getting superb female conductors seen on the podiums of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":38288,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"6"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/the-best-female-conductors.jpg",625,482,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/the-best-female-conductors-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/the-best-female-conductors-300x231.jpg",300,231,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/the-best-female-conductors.jpg",625,482,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/the-best-female-conductors.jpg",625,482,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/the-best-female-conductors.jpg",625,482,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2024\/01\/the-best-female-conductors.jpg",625,482,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By BBC Music Magazine Published: Wednesday, 31 January 2024 at 11:12 AM The question ‘why aren’t there more women conductors?’ remains as relevant in today’s music industry as it always has been. There are several women, though, whose work against this trend has been instrumental in getting superb female conductors seen on the podiums of…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/38287"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38288"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}