In the research that I have done about the performance of works by women composers in major American symphonies, what is only slightly more surprising than the prevalence of works written by dead, white, men is the number of solo pieces that are performed during a concert season.
Perhaps the best way to infuse concert halls with a wider variety of works, representative of the range of composers that are generally neglected, is to encourage soloists to add pieces their repertoire.
Hilary Hahn, the highly acclaimed violinist who is a champion of music education and the encouragement of young musicians, is known for a virtuosic repertoire. Her international reputation is hard to ignore, and neither is her Grammy. But while I appreciate her diligent work, I have always wished that she would broaden her repertoire from Bach, Beethoven, and the other boys. Turns out, my wish is soon to be granted.
The work, which was written for Ms. Hahn, will be heard first February 6th, and will hopefully tour with her for some time to come. If you are in the Indianapolis area you can catch the premiere February 6th at 8, or again February 7th at 5:30. Ticket information is here.
It will also be presented in Canada with the Toronto Symphony on March 11th: , and in Baltimore on June 4, 5, 6, 7.
Ms. Higdon is one of the most performed American composers today (behind Joan Tower), and has written works for other women soloists. Higdon’s The Singing Rooms (for solo violin, SATB chorus, and orchestra, (commissioned by The Philadelphia Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony and Minnesota Orchestra) was premiered by The Philadelphia Orchestra on January 17th of this year with Jennifer Koh.
Ms. Koh also premiered Higdon’s String Poetic in 2006, which was commissioned for her by San Francisco Performances, The Carlsen Center at John County Community College, the 92nd Street Y, Oberlin College Conservatory and The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.
In honor of the seventieth birthday of one of the most performed American composers (regardless of gender), the Cassatt String Quartet is honoring Joan Tower’s works in a birthday-tribute concert series.
The Cassatt Quartet, named after American impressionist painter Mary Cassatt, is notable in itself by being a highly acclaimed, all-woman performing ensemble, performed Tower’s Night Fields on Sept. 18th at Symphony Space in NYC. (At which concert they also gave the New York premiere of Libby Larsen’s She Wrote.) The New York times review can be found here.
Future installments include Oct. 2, where they will perform Tower’s In Memory, also at Symphony Space, and an all-Tower concert at Sarah Lawrence College on Oct. 14, playing Night Fields, In Memory, Incandescent, and Big Sky piano trio, with the composer playing piano. A final performance at Symphony Space on Oct. 16 will revisit Tower’s Incandescent and complete the birthday tribute.
If you are in the New York area be sure to find your way to one of the concerts and join the in party! The concert at Sarah Lawerence is a particular treat, especially since it is offered without an admission fee.
– By Sarah Baer
It has taken decades, but the appearance of women musicians in professional orchestras is no longer startling to audiences or donors. The long fight to find a place among the best-of-the-best, combating teachers who refused to train women and conductors who refused to hear them play, has reaped tremendous rewards.
Take Jorja Fleezanis, for example. Ms. Fleezanis just began her 20th season as a member of the Minnesota Orchestra. Her talent, experience and passion was recognized by the orchestra when she was appointed concertmaster in September 1989 – officially entering the orchestra’s history by being the first woman appointed to that position. Now she will also remembered as having been the longest tenured concertmaster to date.
The number of women concertmasters has been steadily increasing (actual figures are hard to come by). Last October Jessica Mathaes became not only the first woman, but also the youngest concertmaster ever appointed by the Austin Symphony. (The original story ran in the Austin Chronicle.) And even the Vienna State Opera Orchestra has appointed a woman as concertmaster – the news broke in May of this year, shocking the world with such a leap forward, considering the renowned bias that has existed in Vienna over the role of women as musicians. Albena Danailova, who previously served as concertmaster for the London Philharmonic, took her seat as of September 1. (That story can be found here.)
However, the recent buzz surrounding Ms. Fleezanis was not a result of her tenure at the MSO: she made news this week with the announcement that after two decades with the orchestra, Ms. Fleezanis has the incredible opportunity to move from her esteemed position as concertmistress to professor, having been recruited by the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. The Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune reports that she was sought after for years to serve in the new position of professor of music and the Henry A. Upper chair in orchestral studies.
While the rise of women in orchestras has been impressive in the past several decades, it is notable that their presence in academia is still weak. The appointment of Ms. Fleezanis as the chair of the orchestral studies department of one of the most revered music schools in the country is a great victory for women, both in music and academia. So, brava to her for having excelled so brilliantly, and undoubtedly guiding countless other young women towards their now more attainable goals of a life in music.
I suppose it was only a matter of time before television directors, perhaps desperate for a new idea, attempted an unorthodox and possibly fatal combination: classical music and popular culture. Enter Maestro, a British reality program that challenges celebrities to become orchestral conductors. The eight competitors included broadcaster Peter Snow, hip hop star Goldie, actress Jane Asher, actor David Soul and bassist for the band Blur, Alex James.
The show maintained a standard reality-show format. Each competitor had a mentor, practiced diligently, and was judged by experts, who included Sir Roger Norrington. I am, quite honestly, amazed at the popularity and success of the show, which first aired in early August and just broadcast its finale on Sept. 13 on BBC2. However, I do not believe that it is a show that American broadcasting companies are likely to suggest in the near future. However, far more interesting than its existence was the diligence that seemed to have been taken in the structure of the program. Unbelievably, the historic precedent of gendered bias that has pervaded the field of conducting was seemingly broken.
Of the eight celebrities competing for the prize (to lead the BBC Concert Orchestra at the Last Night of the Proms), there were three women. Thought not a perfect ratio, certainly, we must also recognize that two of the four judges were also women. (Simone Young, Music Director and General Manager of the State Opera Hamburg and Music Director of the Philharmonic State Orchestra Hamburg, and Zoe Martlew, cellist, composer, and performance artist.) The producers even demonstrated their effort by including two women in the group of eight mentors that the celebrities worked with throughout the competition. However, it can be duly noted that most of the pieces performed were written by dead, white men (except for some of the pieces from the film music episode that were written by still living, white men).
The impact of the show appeared to be far-reaching (at least with what I have been able to tell via the Internet), including dialogue about the lack of presence of women conductors. British conductor Madeleine Lovell, who prepared the BBC Symphony Chorus for an episode of Maestro, published a commentary in the Independent. Charlotte Higgins, blogger for the Guardian, also posted her commentary about the program, and invited readers to add their own thoughts via comments.
With all of the public conversation about the place of classical women in popular television, and the place of women in classical music at all, I think the best part was the winner: writer, comedian Sue Perkins. Ms. Perkins conducted Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance, led soprano Lesley Garrett in “Merce dilette amiche” from Verdi’s The Sicilian Vespers and “The Impossible Dream” from The Man of La Mancha during the Sept. 13 finale. It makes me wonder as to how many other women have had the honor to conduct the BBC Concert Orchestra, but I haven’t been able to find a complete history yet.
Though it doesn’t surprise me that I did not learn of the program until long after its completion, I am very sorry to have missed it, and to have missed living through it as it was happening in the UK – if only to overhear water-cooler conversation. (Imagine what the conversations would have been like if the controversy about the appointment of Marin Alsop to the Baltimore Orchestra was broadcast during prime time!) The show website is still up and running, though viewers from outside of the UK cannot access the videos. But, thanks to the wonders of YouTube, you can still see some clips. Here’s one of Sue Perkins in action with the Bruch Violin Concerto:
And (one of my favorites) conducting the theme from The Simpsons:
Considering the success, perhaps we should keep our eyes and ears open for a second season next year. Till then, I’ll work on some brilliant ideas to convince the bigwigs on this side of the pond that American audiences are ready for its own version of Maestro, with a similar awareness to bridging the still all-too-present gender divide.
