Christine Flasch, Founder, Music Director and Conductor at the Southwestern Suburban Symphony
“It is no small task to launch a symphony,” says Maestra Christine Flasch. “The good news for me is that the finest players in town have happily accepted my invitations to play.” Before founding and leading the still rather new Southwestern Suburban Symphony, Flasch was tasked with building a summer music festival, Music by the Lake, for Aurora University in Illinois. In so doing, she worked it into a program that presented eight concerts a season of opera, operetta and musical theater for more than a decade.
Reflecting on the challenges of conducting orchestras as a woman, Flasch says: “I had many male music instructors and mentors along the way who all recognized my talent, but they simply could not compliment me when I began to conduct; this was their realm, not mine. They would sing my praises to others, but never to me. This was a real heartache for me, as I clearly wanted to please these teachers.” She faced more than those dismissive attitudes. “Worse were the attitudes of the professional players in my first years when working with them,” Flasch recalls. “Nearly all the players made little eye contact with me during rehearsals and performances,” and she recalls “a certain pianist who refused to take my tempos.”
But Flasch not only survived but thrived. She hopes to be something of a role model for and mentor to young women interested in music direction and conducting—offering some freely given words of advice. “If I was able to start conducting at the age of 50 and make it happen, you can, too,” she says. “You will be laughed at (at first), ignored (for a while) and overlooked way too many times. Do not let this discourage you. If you treat others in the business as you would like to be treated, hold to musical and personal integrity, and deliver a fine product, miracles begin to happen.”
Editor's Note: This article is part of our annual Fall Arts Guide. For the 2018 Fall Arts Guide, we interviewed six women that have founded or taken a leading role within arts institutions in the Milwaukee area to learn about their experiences. Read more of the Fall Arts Guide here.
