Female Conductors Work to Smash the Glass Ceiling

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Though long gone are the days when symphony orchestras were comprised entirely of men (modern orchestras are, for the most part, quite decently populated with female instrumentalists), for those in the classical music business, one significant glass ceiling still exists: that which is suspended over the conductor’s podium. But the Milwaukee area boasts at least one principal conductor and music director—Christine Flasch of the Southwestern Suburban Symphony (SWSS)—who not only leads the ensemble but founded it as well.

“It is no small task to launch a symphony! The good news for me is that the finest players in town have happily accepted my invitations to play,” Flasch says of the still quite new Southwestern Suburban Symphony. Prior to this, she was tasked with building the summer music festival “Music by the Lake” under the auspices of Aurora University in Illinois, where she developed it into a successful program presenting eight concerts per season. It was here that Flasch honed her skills with the baton—producing and directing 13 years of opera, operetta and musical theater.

But for a young woman dreaming of wielding the baton in front of a major symphony orchestra, even today, the deck is stacked heavily against her. Alas, the classical music scene has been so overwhelmingly male-dominated for so long, attitudes towards females in such a very public leadership role are deep-seated and, to be kind, skeptical. Witness the recent comments of Vasily Petrenko—principal conductor of both the Oslo Philharmonic and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic orchestras—responding to a reporter from a Norwegian newspaper about women in the conducting role: “Orchestras react better when they have a man in front of them; a cute girl on the podium means that musicians think about other things.”

As wincingly repulsive as such a statement is, it’s reflective of the bigger issue: Women have to work much harder than their male counterparts to earn the respect they deserve as trained professional conductors. “I had many male music instructors and mentors along the way who all recognized my talent,” Flasch recalls, “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 has been a real heartache for me, as I clearly wanted to please these teachers.

“Worse were the attitudes of the professional players in my first years when working with them. Dennis Hanthorn—general director of the Florentine Opera at the time, who was very supportive—gave me my first big break: hiring me to conduct members of the Waukesha Symphony in 10 school shows of The Magic Flute. Nearly all of the players made little eye contact with me during the rehearsals and performances, and the pianist (who shall remain nameless) refused to take my tempos. Oh what fun that was! But, I survived and learned.”

Surviving, Learning, Succeeding

Success stories—many surely born of experiences similar to Flasch’s—continue to emerge from around the world. Today, there is Marin Alsop, music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra since 2007 and, as such, the first woman to ever lead a U.S. orchestra; Odaline de la Martinez, the first woman ever to conduct at the BBC Proms in London; JoAnn Falletta, music director of both the Buffalo Philharmonic and Virginia Symphony; and Xian Zhang, director of the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano-Giuseppe Verdi since 2009, just to name a few. Of her contemporaries, Flasch comments, “Of course there is much to admire in Alsop and Falletta, both highly successful female conductors presently, but I also greatly admire Xian Zhang; I found her recording of George Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess Suite on YouTube. I later offered that selection at the debut concert of the SWSS. I found her direction to be meticulous and very musical, a bit understated and very powerful in its restraint. Not excessive, but of the highest quality. I am a fan!”

It will take some time before that glass ceiling is finally, utterly shattered, but progress and history continue to be made, and even as women find increasing acceptance and success atop the conductor’s podium, the overall gender gap remains large. According to the latest figures from the League of American Orchestras, among the country’s roughly 800 orchestras, 20% employ female conductors—a figure including assistant and substitute positions and those with small-budget and youth ensembles. Of the 103 highest-budget U.S. orchestras, but 12 have female conductors; of America’s elite top-22 orchestras, only one has a female conductor.

I asked Maestra Flasch if she had any words of encouragement—or warning—for young women who are considering this career path. “If I was able to start conducting at the age of 50 and make it happen, you can, too,” she says, though quickly adding that it might be better to start somewhat earlier in life than she did.

“It will take everything you’ve got: hard work, complete dedication and preparation and courage above all else. It will require striving for your highest and best every single day and believing that it will happen. You will be laughed at (at first), ignored (for a while) and overlooked way too many times. Do not let this discourage you. Many will resist your success. But 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.”

The Southwestern Suburban Symphony’s next concert, “Feasting, Music and Merriment,” takes place on Sunday, Dec. 17, at the Polish Center of Wisconsin, 6941 S. 68th St., Franklin. Call 414-434-2028 or visit swssymphony.org for more information on the orchestra or to purchase tickets.