Tonight: discussion on Equality and Conductors at the Institut Français

Slightly short notice, I know, but here's what's happening tonight. Do come along if you can. I'm chairing and we have some really amazing speakers! It's part of the Institut Français's Women Shaping the World series and takes places at the Institut's premises in South Kensington.

To celebrate International Women’s Day and echoing French conductor Laurence Equilbey’s concert at the Barbican [tomorrow], the Institut français is hosting a panel of women conductors to debate on gender equality issues in the domain of classical and contemporary music. To this day, the gap between female and male conductors is mind-blowing and should be addressed.

Women conductors Claire Gibault (France), Eimear Noone (Ireland) and Alice Farnham (UK) will bring their own perspective on equality on the podium and the role of women conductors in programming women composers and musicians. Lydia Connolly, joint managing director of Harrison Parrott, a leading advocate for more women on the podium, will also join the debate.

 
£10, members & conc. £8 

The talk will be followed by a wine and cheese.

See also on 8 March at the Barbican, Insula Orchestra: Beethoven and Farrenc, conducted by Laurence Equilbey and including Symphonie n°3 by French composer Louise Farrenc as well as Beethoven’s Triple Concerto performed by the violinist Alexandra Conunova, the cellist Natalie Clein and the pianist Elisabeth Brauss.

Marin takes Vienna

Marin Alsop's selfie from the Last Night of the Proms

Heartening news this morning that Marin Alsop has been appointed chief conductor of the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra. Vienna, despite all the glories of its musical history, has never exactly been renowned for the heights of its progressive gender egalitarianism, so this announcement carries some extra heft. She'll be taking over from Cornelius Meister and will assume the post on 1 September 2019 for an initial three years - and will, of course, be the orchestra's first female chief conductor.

Now we need more splendid conductors who happen to be female to be elevated to prominent posts, where they will be worth their weight in gold both as role models for the future and as musicians in their own right and their orchestras'. Incidentally, there may well be some London orchestra jobs up for grabs in the next few years - one of them appears to have a vacancy right now - and the opportunity will be staring them in the face. Let's hope a manager or two has the foresight to approach the right person.

Jude Kelly, as you know, is leaving Southbank Centre to concentrate her energies on WOW - the Women of the World Festival. In a thoughtful interview with the Guardian the other day, she said it's not enough to be a feminist: you have to do something.

To that end, I've done something very small that I hope will be reasonably useful: I've added a sidebar section here on JDCMB devoted to resources for women in the music world. You can use this as a one-stop-shop to click through to sources of funding like the PRS Foundation's Women Make Music and the Ambache Charitable Trust, courses like RPS Women Conductors, projects like Dallas Opera's Women Conductors Institute and more. I'm on the lookout for links to add, so if you know of one that ought to be there please send it my way, preferably via Facebook or Twitter. This is about organisations that can offer support and development to many, rather than individual artists' websites. But you'll also find there a link to my Women Conductors List (it runs to well over 100 names and sites) and that is always open to updating with individual names. Thanks very much for taking a look.

Thanks, too, for the powerful response to yesterday's shoulder post. I now have recommendations of at least 10 different osteopaths!


If you've enjoyed this post, please support JDCMB at GoFundMe here

Women conductors: a "provocation"

The Association of British Orchestras has been shaking things up this year and nowhere more so than in the matter of female conductors. James Murphy, managing director of the Southbank Sinfonia, gave a presentation on the issue. 

James tells me: "I’ve had the good fortune to collaborate with a number of fantastic conductors, among them some brilliant women. It’s baffled me (and them) that some of them have not had the same breaks as men, and why our industry seems to be strangely reticent to try and achieve a little more balance in terms of the opportunities each get. I was roused by Alice Farnham’s course established in 2013 and, since then, our players have been part of the workshops she runs. But too often I’ve heard people in the sector imply that her doing that excuses them of doing anything themselves, and I decided to ask the Association of British Orchestras if we could focus on this at a future conference. I got my chance last week where, sandwiched between Chi-chi Nwanoku and Hannah Kendall speaking powerfully about other diversity and inclusion issues, I was granted ten minutes at this year’s conference to share my thoughts on the issue. I chose to do this as a volley of images projected from Powerpoint with some commentary from me as they rolled by. It seemed to go very well, and so I’ve now made a digital version of it so more people can see it online."

Here it is, above. Please have a listen, and a look at those statistics. James nails the chief issues head-on. And you know what? It's good to hear them from a bloke. 

The conference was apparently referring quite copiously to my little list, as James does here - a reference resource with names, brief summaries and web links about women conductors that I published in September 2013 - but it is much need of updating after three and a half years, so do get in touch if there's someone you'd like to add. 

And meanwhile, over in the US, there's this...

How Marin is changing the world

A few weeks ago I went to listen to Marin Alsop giving masterclasses for young women conductors and had a terrific interview with her. She is not one to pull her punches on "the women conductors thing". The piece is in the Independent today, ahead of her concerts with the OAE in Basingstoke on Thursday and the Royal Festival Hall on Saturday - the one with the Schumann Violin Concerto.

I'm delighted to say that she and I will be on BBC Radio 4 'Woman's Hour' tomorrow to talk about the story of the Schumann Violin Concerto. Plus I'm now joining the panel for the pre-concert talk at the RFH on Saturday (5.45pm) where we'll be discussing music, mental illness, Schumann, the Concerto and more.

Here's a taster of the article and you can read the rest here.

Marin Alsop's selfie at the Last Night of the Proms

Some conductors who are female are outraged if one raises “the women conductors thing”. Why are we still talking about this? Isn't it time to forget it and just get on with making music? Alsop, though, faces the issue head on – and she is perfectly happy to bring it out into the open. 

“People ask why a course like this is necessary, and I think it's a disingenuous question,” she says. “It's only necessary because of the reality. It's not something I'm making up. I'm just reacting to the landscape.” There is no point, she suggests, trying to deny that there are too few women conductors, or that they face problems different from those experienced by their male colleagues – both in terms of that glass ceiling protecting prestigious posts and in how the details of their artistry are perceived.

“Because I have quite a thick skin, I don't mind being the one out front, trying to elbow my way in,” she adds. “But I think, as that person out front, it's important for me to create a pathway for people coming through. I don't want it to be so hard for the next generations.”

Breakthrough: First female conductor wins titled post in a BBC orchestra

Xian Zhang. Photo: Benjamin Ealovega

Here's a gentle crack in the glass overhead: Xian Zhang has been named principal guest conductor of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. This is the first time ever that a conductor who happens to be female has been given a titled post with one of the BBC's five orchestras. Note the date: December 2015.

Zhang, 42, has also recently been appointed music director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and has served as music director of the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi since 2009. Her debut performance in her new BBCNOW post will be on 27 September 2016.

She is interviewed by Tom Service in The Guardian today.

I talked to her last year for Classical Music Magazine's 'Meet the Maestro' series. Here are a few choice quotes:

Zhang, 40, has been at the helm of the [Milan] orchestra – which is known at home as simply La Verdi – for five years, the first woman ever appointed music director of an Italian symphony orchestra. She says that has witnessed a sea-change in attitudes. “In the beginning it was like no-man’s land – or no-woman’s land!” she laughs. “People here had never seen a woman conductor before. Of course I arrived without realising that. It was probably better that way, because otherwise I would have been way too intimidated.”...

....As for what she wryly terms “the woman conductor question”, Zhang suggests: “It’s a matter of time. I think the public is in general very open, but orchestras and people who work in this environment have to be perhaps less self-protective – this is stopping more progress from happening earlier. They don’t necessarily have to be positive about it, but at least to be neutral and see if people are gifted before considering if they are a woman or a man.” In Milan, though, she has spotted a surprise advantage. “A quintessential point in Italian culture is that people greatly respect a mother figure,” she says. “Maybe that helped me to be accepted as conductor of an orchestra. It makes sense! When I first arrived I was seven months pregnant with my first son, so that was how people saw me for the first time. At my first concert after my second son was born, some of the audience gave me presents for the baby. I was so touched.”

Read the whole interview here...

NOTE (4 December): A certain amount of Twitter chatter has questioned whether this counts because JoAnn Falletta was principal conductor of the Ulster Orchestra from 2011 to 2014 and the Ulster Orchestra receives some money and broadcasts from the BBC. So let's get this straight: the BBC tells me that the Ulster Orchestra is not "a BBC orchestra" because it is not managed by the BBC. It is an independent orchestra and it has a broadcasting deal. "Principal guest conductor" meanwhile remains a post of significant prominence, one that is held in other UK orchestras by the likes of Daniel Harding (LSO), Pinchas Zukerman (RPO) and Markus Stenz (The Hallé).

Women in music: positive action works

I've got a piece in the new edition of Classical Music Magazine, responding to one last month by Alexandra Coghlan.

Here's Alexandra's piece, in which she asserts that women in music are being spotlighted for all the wrong reasons.

Here's mine, pointing out the inconvenient truth that sometimes affirmative action works...

Taster:

In the late 1980s, my generation emerged from college believing we could have it all. We imagined the battle for ‘Women’s Lib’ had been won and we would be its beneficiaries. We thought that if we tried to put in place conditions for discrimination and prejudice to disappear, they would, by some kind of natural, progressive evolution. Ever since, we’ve been finding out how wrong we were.
That applies throughout society, of course, and classical music is no exception. With Suffragette receiving top billing in the cinemas as I write, it’s clear that there is a preoccupation with these issues in the world around us right now – and with good reason...

Read the whole thing here. (I'm happy to say that even if Alexandra and I may disagree, we're good friends and colleagues and we applaud each other's right to speak up.)

Meanwhile, if you were in any doubt that positive action can effect change, just take a look at the Lucerne Festival. Yes, mighty Lucerne; Lucerne the wealthy and beautiful; historical Lucerne, founded to counter Bayreuth and Salzburg beyond the Third Reich's reach; Lucerne where Wagner wrote Tristan, has announced that in 2016 its theme is "Prima Donna": a focus on women artists. And it is going to feature ELEVEN (11) conductors who are female, at the helm of top orchestras from around the world. 

Emmanuelle Haim, who will conduct the Vienna Philharmonic in Lucerne.
Photo: Simon Fowler, (c) Warner Classics

Marin Alsop will make her Lucerne debut with the São Paolo Symphony Orchestra. Barbara Hannigan is to conduct the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. Susanna Mälkki will conduct the Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra in the world premiere of a new work by Olga Neuwirth, who is composer in residence. A "day of adventure" [sic] brings in the conductors Mirga Gražinyte-Tyla, Anu Tali, Maria Schneider, and Konstantia Gourzi. And Emmanuelle Haim, the French baroque suprema, is to take the podium for the Vienna Philharmonic, which as we all know isn't exactly renowned for the number of women it admits to its ranks. (Well, renowned for exactly that. Because there are so few.) 

And in case you were in any doubt, there are plenty of men around as well. Riccardo Chailly, recently appointed music director of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, will conduct opening night, which is Mahler's Symphony No.8.

The risk of the "prima donna" focus, of course, can be summarised as "been there, done that, bought the t shirt". It's a super celebration, but what one wants is consistency: equality of opportunity that becomes normal and ultimately unremarkable because it is so accepted. The fact that Lucerne is doing this means that all the activism, the articles, the general "noise" about women in music is having an impact in the places it matters. The long-term effect, though, needs to be different. Lucerne is offering a chance for the movers and shakers of the music world to sample the excellence of great artists who happen to be female. We'd like them then to win enduring opportunities as a result. Things can't just go back to business as usual. 

Bravo, Lucerne, for biting the bullet and sounding the trumpet. And I look forward very much to seeing how Emmanuelle gets along with the Viennas. 

More workshops for Morley - details

Morley College has announced the next in its series of workshops for young women music students to try their hands at conducting, led by the conductor Alice Farnham:

CONDUCTING WORKSHOPS FOR FEMALE MUSIC STUDENTS

In March 2014 Morley College ran its first Women Conductors weekend workshop. This was developed in response to wide spread media coverage at the time that commented on the lack of female conductors in the industry. It is designed to create more opportunities for young women to try out orchestral conducting, and is led by acclaimed conductor Alice Farnham.

With generous funding and support from Arts Council England the weekend workshops will run during 2015-16. They will be led by Alice Farnham with stagecraft and body language coaches Alma Sheehan and Shirley Keane. In addition students will be given practical experience of conducting small professional ensembles. View the weekend workshop programme and learn more about the tutors.

Upcoming workshop dates:

9-10 May 2015, Oxford University

30-31 May 2015, Leeds College of Music

Further workshops will be held throughout the UK during 2015/16.

The workshops are open for application from women aged 16-25 or in full-time music education either in conservatoires, university or in sixth form and planning to study music full time. Whilst students who already have conducting experience will find this rewarding and challenging, it is also open to students who may think conducting is not for them, but are willing to try it out.

Outstanding workshop participants will be selected to take part in the final masterclass day with a leading female conductor and a full orchestra, as part of the Women Conductors at Morley event in 2016.

Fees:

Participant fee = £150

Observer fee = £40

How to apply:

Send a one page CV alongside a 500 word statement on why you would like to take part in the workshop to womenconductors@morleycollege.ac.uk

Insiders Anonymous: shocking stories from a female conductor

Some potentially explosive stuff in my "Insiders Anonymous" piece for Classical Music Magazine this month: how conducting careers can be made or unmade, especially if you're a woman..... It is not a pretty tale. The magazine has kindly brought it out from behind the paywall, so do have a read.
http://www.classicalmusicmagazine.org/features/insiders-anonymous-the-female-conductor/

What do conductors do, anyway?

I'm sure the answers to that question are many and varied. But here's one for the mix: some of them write books. I've put a few million-dollar questions to Lev Parikian, who together with Barrington Orwell has written a singularly sparkly volume, Waving, Not Drowning, about the mysterious art of the musical maestro - with tongue located in cheek.

Lev is, of course, a conductor himself; he specialises in galvanising into action a range of enthusiastic amateur orchestras. Who better to tell us what's really going on on that podium? And a few words, too, about the women conductors' issue...

JD: Lev, what made you want to write a book about conducting?

LP: There are plenty of serious books about conducting, and quite right too, for it is a serious matter. But I felt there was scope for a less earnest approach that would nevertheless contain, as one reviewer put it, "truth within the comic camouflage”.

Waving, Not Drowning started as a series of articles for Classical Music magazine highlighting some of the more mockable aspects of the noble art of conducting (and it is a noble art, although we are a more mockable breed than most, if only we realised it). From these frivolous drivellings emerged the idea for a book which I hoped would amuse, entertain and enlighten in equal measure. Whether or not it does any of those three things, it kept me harmlessly occupied and off the internet for a few months, so that’s no bad thing.

JD: So tell us...what does a conductor really do, and how?

LP: Aagh, you’ve gone for the impossible questions first. It’s tempting to say 'ask me again in thirty years', but I'm not sure I'll have an answer even then.

So here goes...

What do they do? They enable a group of musicians to give the best performance available to them of any piece of music.

How do they do it? That's more difficult, because there are as many ways of conducting as there are conductors. But pick a few from the following: gestures, psychology, words, force of personality, ears (or "listening skill solutions” as we probably have to say nowadays), intimate knowledge of the music, intellect, experience, hard work, metaphors, similes, analogies, mime, encouragement, cajoling, threats, amusing anecdotes just before the break, telepathy, magic dust, did I say hard work? I’m sure I’ve missed a few out.

I think conducting is often done with the ears  – the conductor is the person on the stage best placed to hear the music, so has the responsibility for shaping the balance. But they also need to be able to engage all the musicians so that each one of them feels they are contributing to the whole – that’s where the psychology comes in. And of course an ability not only to pick (and transmit) the best tempo but also to convey the character of the music with gesture alone is a great plus. As the incomparable Professor Etwas Ruhiger (profiled in Chapter 5 of Waving, Not Drowning) put it: “If music iss like hippopotamus, do not be condectink like cherbil."

JD: Why do you think there is such a mystique around the profession of conducting? Is it justified?

LP: The mystique of the conductor is understandable – he or she is the only person on stage who makes no sound (there are some exceptions...), yet is the first to receive the plaudits. And the parallels with wizards are all too obvious: the wand, the air of mystery, the ‘look at me’ aura.
But the fact remains that without musicians, the conductor is just an idiot waving his or her arms around. Controversial statement alert: a lot of the time, the players can get on just fine without conductors. Part of the skill of conducting lies, I think, in recognising when you’re needed and knowing what to do about it (which is a different matter entirely). 

JD: What would be your response to the "Oh, conductors just wave their arms around" viewpoint?

LP: I’d reply by saying that it depends on the conductor. Then I’d invite whoever said it to come and have a go themselves and have a chat afterwards.

JD: What, for you, are the best things about being a conductor? And the worst things?

LP: The best – when you know you’ve helped a group of musicians play better; the worst – when you know that you’ve made them play worse.

JD:  As you know, I've been pretty involved in the issue of women conductors, or lack of them. How can we encourage more women to become conductors, and help those that already exist to get a fair hearing?

LP: Challenge those who disagree with or ignore the idea of women conductors. Go on challenging them. Don’t give up until all talk of “women conductors” has disappeared and we talk only about “conductors”.

This interview with Mei-Ann Chen seems to me to exemplify a positive and constructive approach from an obviously extravagantly talented and motivated conductor: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/glassceilingcom/how-conductor-meiann-chen_b_4276015.html

Waving, Not Drowning - paperback (Amazon)
Waving, Not Drowning - Kindle edition (Amazon)

Speaking of women conductors...

...a lot of us did just that on Saturday, in a discussion that formed part of the Women of the World Festival at Southbank Centre. A sizeable and spirited group was convened from all corners of the classical music business, including a number of women conductors, composers, performers, writers, directors, educators and more. It was especially wonderful to have Marin Alsop with us. Helen Wallace has written up the event on the BBC Music Magazine website: http://www.classical-music.com/blog/why-arent-there-more-women-conductors-jude-kelly-leads-discussion-southbank-centre

WQXR takes up fanfare for the uncommon woman conductor

I've just taken part in a discussion for WQXR's programme Conducting Business on the topic of women conductors, together with Emmanuelle Haim, artists manager Charlotte Lee and the station's presenter Naomi Lewin. It feels a bit weird to speak on New York radio from the comfort of my study (cat confined to kitchen to avoid him inadvertently making his NY debut) - anyway, it was an interesting talk with some fascinating perspectives emerging. Here is the article on the website, and the resulting podcast is embedded below.

Women conductors: encore furore

In an excoriating piece for the NPR blog, Anastasia Tsioulcas shreds the latest sexist remarks against women conductors - which include comments by the head of the Paris Conservatoire, for heaven's sake - and says that women in the classical music industry must start speaking up in earnest. Read it here.

You might like to know that my Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman Conductor has had more hits than any other post on JDCMB ever, in nearly a decade, and still rising.

Speaking isn't enough. We have to do something. Here is my idea from about a year ago. I still think it's a good one. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/features/sexism-with-strings-attached-8197972.html?origin=internalSearch

Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman Conductor - this time in The Independent

Here's my feature for the Indy about what we can learn from the little list here on JDCMB t'other day. Thanks again to all the doughty JDCMB readers and tweeters who contributed to it!
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/features/its-time-to-pass-the-baton-on-to-our-female-maestros-8807322.html

Fanfare for the uncommon woman conductor

Following that rather daft public row about Vassily Petrenko's alleged remarks re women conductors, I thought we'd do something constructive. I spent some of yesterday afternoon tweeting the names and websites of as many women conductors as I could think of. You all wrote in with suggestions and we ended up with a very fine list indeed. Special thanks to my doughty colleague Toby Deller, who also had the good sense to introduce a hashtag. [NB I am still updating the list below - plenty more of them! So please keep tweeting the missing links and keep checking back for our additions...]

A few of the conclusions to draw here are as follows.

1. There are more women conductors than you think. People believe our dear Marin Alsop is the only one. She ain't.

2. They don't often get the important dates that will be reviewed. Some people want to blame us journalists for their lack of recognition, but with concert review space tighter than it has ever been in history, it is usually the "big gigs" that get the attention, and the women conductors - with the exception of Marin and the Last Night of the Proms - are not being given the big gigs.

3. The women conductors I know are heartily sick of being asked why there aren't more women conductors - mostly because there are.They would like, please, recognition first and foremost and, ideally, only for their work as musicians, regardless of gender...

4. [Update, 5 Sept, 13:49] I think that's what's emerging here, as the list steams on with well over 50 names and rising, is that there are plenty of women who are conductors, but one heck of a glass ceiling regarding where they work. [Update, 7 October, 18:49 - the list is now NEARLY 100 strong! Thank you to everybody who has written in to contribute!]

In no particular order, here's the march of the women.

Zoi Tsokanou. http://www.zoitsokanou.com
Was in Gustav Mahler Bamberg competition this year & Haitink masterclasses in Lucerne.

Monica Buckland Hofstetter http://www.buckland.ch/english/news.htm …
British-Swiss, formerly in charge of conducting chorus & orchestra at the University of Dresden, now based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Jessica Cottis http://jessicacottis.com
Young Australian-British conductor whose name came up more often in suggestions on Twitter yesterday than anyone else's.

Anu Tali http://www.harrisonparrott.com/artist/profile/anu-tali …
Estonian suprema, music director of Sarasota Orchestra & Nordic Symphony Orchestra.

Julia Jones: http://www.rayfieldallied.com/artists/julia-jones/
Admired Brit, extremely well recognised in Germany, did Cosi at Covent Garden not so long ago.

Xian Zhang. http://www.harrisonparrott.com/artist/profile/xian-zhang …
I have loved the performances of hers that I've heard at ENO.

Simone Young http://www.simoneyoung.com/titel/
Extremely well-established, has been chief conductor at the Hamburg Opera (just leaving now).

Eve Queler http://www.evequeler.com
New York-based operatic expert.

JoAnn Falletta http://www.joannfalletta.com
Music director of the Ulster Orchestra.

Suzi Digby http://www.suzidigby.com/
That ultimate mover and shaker of choirs and galvaniser of community and youth music.

Nia Llewellyn Jones @niallewellynj
Young conductor fresh out of Cambridge, being nurtured by CBSO.

Jane Glover: http://www.janeglover.co.uk
Arch-Mozartian and author.

Sian Edwards http://www.ingpen.co.uk/artist/sian-edwards/ …
She is head of conducting at the Royal Academy of Music.

Susanna Mälkki http://www.harrisonparrott.com/artist/profile/susanna-malkki …  
Much-admired principal conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic and principal guest conductor of Los Angeles Philharmonic. 

Alondra de la Parra http://alondradelaparra.com/  
Among much else, an official cultural ambassador for Mexican tourism.

Emmanuelle Haim http://www.leconcertdastree.fr/  
Extraordinary Baroque specialist from France.

Kelly Lovelady http://kellylovelady.com
From Australia, with an unforgettable name.

Odaline de la Martinez http://www.lorelt.co.uk/lontano/odaline.htm …
Founder of Lontano.

Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla http://www.cami.com/?webid=2551
Music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

Kristiina Poska http://www.rbartists.at/en/dirigenten_dtl.php?id=486&TACookie=rv3a0901nslhali2lc4gai8035 …
Prizewinning Estonian who's been rising fast, not least via the Komische Oper, Berlin

Ewa Strusinska http://www.ewastrusinska.com  
Spent some time with the Halle and now works internationally from Poland 

Jeanne Lamon http://www.tafelmusik.org/about/orchestra/bios/jeanne-lamon … 
Baroque marvel, head of Tafelmusik

Sarah Ioannides http://sarahioannides.net/  
Born in Australia, grew up in the UK, now based in the US.

Tania Miller http://www.hughkaylor.com/Miller-Tania-Bio.html
 Music director of the Victoria Symphony Orchestra, Canada

Claire Gibault http://clairegibault.fr/  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claire_Gibault …
Both conductor and MEP!

Barbara Hannigan http://www.barbarahannigan.com/
This extraordinary soprano, star of Benjamin's Written on Skin, is also a conductor.

Gemma New http://www.gemmanew.com/
Assistant conductor at New Jersey SO

Rebecca Miller http://www.rebeccamiller.net/
London-based US conductor

Alice Farnham http://www.alicefarnham.com/
Music director of Welsh National Youth Opera for Paul Bunyan this year

Akiko Ohtomo http://hokusaiorchestra.com/test/prof.html
Director of the Hokusai Orchestra (formed in 2010)

Anne Manson http://www.annemanson.com/
Among much else, she was the first woman to conduct at the Salzburg Festival

Yip Wing-Sie http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yip_Wing-sie
Music director of the Hong Kong Sinfonietta

Sybille Werner http://www.ljova.com/sybille.htm
Mahler authority

Alicja Mounk http://www.dirigentinnen.de/1mounk.htm
A long and distinguished career

Holly Mathieson http://www.hollymathieson.com/
Young New Zealander, based in Berlin

Monique Krus http://401nederlandseoperas.nl/en/componisten/208-monique-krues.html
Dutch conductor, composer and soprano (site above doesn't mention the conducting, but she is recommended by a friend who saw her conduct last week)

Laurence Equilbey http://www.laurenceequilbey.com/
Fine French maestra, especially noted for opera. Another one for the appropriate-names department.

Jennifer Condon http://www.owlsnestopera.com.au/?page_id=6
Music director of the wonderfully-titled Owl's Nest Opera in Austalia

Karen Kamensek http://www.lewin-management.com/artists/18_Karen+Kamensek/englishbio
Music director of Staatstheater Hannover

Carolyn Watson http://www.carolyn-watson.com/biog.html
Orchestra director, Interlochen Arts Academy

Han-Na Chang http://www.harrisonparrott.com/artist/profile/han-na-chang
She's the most fabulous cellist and now she's become a conductor!

Mei-Anne Chen http://meiannchen.com/
Music director of Chicago Sinfonietta and Memphis Symphony

Joana Carneiro http://imgartists.com/artist/joana_carneiro
Music director, Berkeley Symphony

Amy Bebbington http://www.amybebbington.co.uk/4.html
Choral specialist

Laura Jackson http://www.laurajackson.net/web/home.aspx
Music director, Reno Philharmonic

Halldis Rønning http://www.harmonien.no/default.aspx?pageId=33
Assistant conductor, Bergen Philharmonic

Carolyn Kuan http://www.hartfordsymphony.org/about/music-director/
Music director, Hartford Symphony

Matilda Hofman http://www.esm.rochester.edu/iml/spotlight/spotlight_may_2008_hoffman.php
Music director, Diablo Symphony, California

Nicolette Fraillon http://www.australianballet.com.au/about_us/artistic_staff/nicolette_fraillon
Music director & chief conductor of Australian Ballet

Sarah Grace Williams http://www.sarahgracewilliams.com/
Chief conductor & artistic director, The Metropolitan Orchestra, Sydney

Speranza Scappucci http://www.icartists.co.uk/artists/speranza-scappucci
Is opening the forthcoming Scottish Opera season with Don Giovanni

Susan Hollingworth http://www.sinenom.com/bio.html
Conductor of Sine Nomine Choir and much more

Sarah Baldock http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Baldock
Master of the choristers & organist at Chichester Cathedral. One of the first women ever to be appointed at one.

Katherine Dienes-Williams http://www.katherinedienes.com/KD/Welcome.html
Master of the choristers & organist at Guildford Cathedral (see above)

Sarah Macdonald http://www.sel.cam.ac.uk/chapel/People/
Director of Music in Chapel, Selwyn College, Cambridge.

Kim Diehnelt http://www.kimdiehnelt.com/
Music director & chief conductor, Northwest Symphony Orchestra, US

Jeri Lynne Johnson http://www.jerilynnejohnson.com/web/home.aspx
Founder & conductor, Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, US

Isabelle Ruf-Weber http://www.dirigentinnen.de/1rufwe.htm
German conductor based in Baden-Wurttemberg

Sinead Hayes http://www.sineadhayes.com/
Young Irish conductor who opened the RTE Concert Orchestra's summer lunchtime concert series.

Roberta Peroni http://www.linkedin.com/pub/roberta-peroni/28/44b/58a 
Conductor & chorus manager in Bari, Italy.

Talia Ilan http://www.taliailan.com/bio.aspx
Music director of the Israel Stage Orchestra & guest conductor with many Israeli orchestras.

Ewa Michnik http://www.opera.wroclaw.pl/1/index.php?lang=_pl&page=4&perf_id=1
Director, Opera Wroclaw, Poland.

Eun Sun Kim http://www.lewin-management.com/artists/19_Eun+Sun+Kim/englishbio
Is conducting Die Fledermaus at ENO this season.

Maja Matelska http://majametelska.com/en/
Polish conductor, has scooped quite a few competition prizes.

Marzena Diakun http://diakun.com/en/biography/
Polish, winner of 2nd prize in last year's Fitelberg Competition, and highly recommended by one of my colleagues who's in the know.

Gisele Ben-Dor http://www.giseleben-dor.com/
Israeli conductor laureate of Santa Barbara Symphony Orchestra

Victoria Bond http://victoriabond.com/
American composer and conductor. Her website says she has been staying in the guest flat at Brahms's house near Baden-Baden (this has long been my own aspiration!) and writing an opera about Clara Schumann.

Rei Hotada http://reihotoda.com
Has been assistant conductor at the Dallas Symphony and has been making important debuts around the US & Canada this season.

Sarah Hicks http://sarahhicksconductor.com/web/bio.aspx
Staff conductor at the Curtis Institute, Philadelphia, among much else.

Anna Skryleva http://www.annaskryleva.com/annaskryleva/Home.html
Russian, has been working in some fine German opera houses including Karlsruhe & Hamburg

Tara Simoncic http://www.greenwichsymphony.org/tara-simoncic-associate-conductor
Young American conductor, has been featured in the Guardian

Amelia LeClair http://www.brandeis.edu/wsrc/scholars/profiles/leclair.html
Scholar and early music choral conductor, based at Brandeis University

Nicole Paiement http://music.ucsc.edu/faculty/nicole-paiement
Director of Ensembles, University of California Santa Cruz.

Rosemary Thomson http://okanagansymphony.com/about/music-director/2997/
Music director, Okanagan Symphony.

Dalia Atlas http://www.dalia-atlas.com/Biography.html
From Haifa. Has recorded a lot of Bloch.

Graziella Contratto http://www.graziellacontratto.com/
Swiss conductor with a fine track record.

Jessica Gethin http://perthsymphony.com/2012/09/20/perth-symphony-orchestra/
Principal conductor of the Perth Symphony Orchestra, Australia

Carolin Nordmeyer http://www.theater-augsburg.de/content.php?backlink=L2NvbnRlbnQucGhwP25hdj0zNCZzdWI9MzYmL011c2lrdGhlYXRlci9FbnNlbWJsZS5odG1s&sel=1&mitID=240
Theater Augsburg, Germany

Alissa Firsova http://alissafirsova.com/
Multi-talented composer, conductor and pianist. Daughter of the composers Dimitri Smirnov and Elena Firsova.

Nathalie Stutzmann http://www.nathaliestutzmann.com/
The noted French mezzo-soprano is conducting as well. 

Andrea Quinn http://www.andreaquinn.com/
British conductor, now based in the US. Was chief conductor at New York City Ballet, then at Norrlands Operan, Sweden.

Anne Marie Granau http://www.linkedin.com/in/annemariegranau
Chorus master at Royal Danish Opera, Copenhagen

Silvia Sanz Torre http://www.silviasanz.com/silviasanz/index.php
Spanish conductor - intrigued to see she has conducted rare Albeniz opera The Magic Opal.

Kate Tamarkin http://www.ktamarkin.com/ktprofile.htm
Music director, Charlottesville and Univesity Symphony Orchestra, Charlottesville, US

Natalia Luis-Bassa http://www.natalialuisbassa.blogspot.co.uk/
Venezuelan conductor in the UK. Hit headlines a few years ago by walking out on the Huddersfield Philharmonic due to interpersonal problems with players being "disrespectful". Was a mentor in BBC's Maestro series. Teaches at RCM.

Sarah Tenant-Flowers http://www.tenantflowers.co.uk/
Choral conductor, UK, teacher, animateur - and also a mentor on Maestro.

Elizabeth Schulze http://www.flagstaffsymphony.org/about_conductor.php
Music director, Flagstaff and Maryland Symphony Orchestras, US

Sandra Horst http://www.music.utoronto.ca/faculty/faculty_members/faculty_a_to_m/Sandra_Horst.htm
Chorus master of Canadian Opera

Grete Pedersen http://solistkoret.no/en/artistic-leader/
Artistic leader, Norwegian Soloists Choir

Mary Chun http://www.earplay.org/index.php/music-makers/mary-chun-conductor-bio/
In demand in contemporary music and opera, US. Premiered Adams's I was looking at the ceiling...

Sara Jobin http://www.hughkaylor.com/jobin-sara-bio.html
Artistic director, Centre for Contemporary Opera, New York.

Renee Baker http://www.chicagomodernorchestraproject.org/artistic-director/
Music director, Chicaco Modern Orchestra Project

Beatrice Jona Affron http://www.paballet.org/pennsylvania-ballet-orchestra
Music director and conductor, Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra

Natalia Salinas http://www.linkedin.com/in/salinasnatalia/en
Conductor based in her native Argentina

Ann Krinitsky http://annkrinitsky.com/Bio.html
Director, Marin Symphony Youth Performance Programmes, etc - based in the Bay Area.

Karina Canellakis http://www.karinacanellakis.com/Site/Karina_Canellakis_conductor_violinist_BIOGRAPHY.html
Winner, 2013 Taki Concordia Conducting Fellowship (founded by Marin Alsop)

Sebrina Maria Alfonso http://southfloridasymphony.org/about-the-conductor/
Music director, South Florida Symphony

Diane Wittry http://www.dianewittry.com/index.html
Music director, Allentown Symphony  

Denise Ham http://www.denisehamconducting.com/
Sought-after teacher of conducting in the UK

Sharon Choa http://sharonchoa.co.uk/
Artistic director & principal conductor, Chamber Orchestra Anglia, which she founded in 2001

Rachael Young http://rachaelyoung.eu/
Has been assistant conductor to Paavo Jarvi & Leonid Grin, will Russian Virtuosi of Europe at Cadogan Hall in June 14.


Kayoko Dan http://chattanoogasymphony.org/artists/kayoko-dan/
Music director, Chattanooga Symphony & Opera 

Apo Hsu http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apo_Hsu
Assistant conductor of Oregon Symphony under James de Priest

Joana Mallwitz http://www.artistainternational.com/en/conductor/joanamallwitz/index.php
Is conducting Das Rheingold in Macau in October 2013 and has been doing more Wagner in Riga.

Yuri Nitta http://www.yuri-muusikko.com/e-profile.htm
Tokyo-born Nordic music specialist

Keiko Mitsuhashi http://www.concert.co.jp/en/artist/keiko_mitsuhashi/
2nd prize & audience prize in 2010 International Conducting Competition 'Arturo Toscanini'; 1st prize in 2008 Antonio Pedrotti Conducting Competition. 

Kanako Abe http://www.kanakoabe.com/about.html
Born in Osaka, now based in Paris. Co-founder & music director of Ensemble Multilatérale

Yoko Matsuo *Link needed, please send if you have one!*
Pioneer of women conductors in Japan and first woman to win the Besançon competition in 1982. 

Lindsay Ryan http://www.harmonysinfonia.co.uk/conductor.php
London-based conductor, founder in 2009 of Harmony Sinfonia  

Heather MacLaughlin Garbes http://www.heathermaclaughlin.com/
Lives in Seattle, works with Baltic Studies Department/Baltic Choral Library at the University of Washington
 
Zheng Xiaoying http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/company/conductors/zheng_ziaoying/
Principal conductor of the Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra and artistic director of her own Opera Centre.

Shi-Yeon Sung http://shiyeonsung.com/biography/
Winner of 2006 Sir Georg Solti International Conductors Competition.

Keri-Lynn Wilson http://imgartists.com/artist/keri_lynn_wilson
Canadian-born conductor, currently music director of Slovenian Philharmonic. Triumphant London debut at ENO for The Girl of the Golden West.

Susanne Riddell http://www.wessexyo.com/home/cwym-staff
Cellist, teacher and conductor of the Wessex Youth Orchestra, Poole, with further plans in the offing.

Janet Wheeler http://www.janetwheeler.co.uk
Choral conductor and composer

Catherine Winnes http://www.cathrinewinnes.com/about/
Norwegian orchestral conductor, artistic director and chief conductor of Swedish Wind Ensemble

Kerstin Nerbe https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerstin_Nerbehttps://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kerstin_Nerbe
Senior Swedish conductor who made her name long before the rest

Cecilia Rydiner Alin https://www.kmh.se/backstage/om-backstage/nyhetsarkiv/nyhetsarkiv/2017-11-29-cecilia-rydinger-alin-ater-som-rektor.html
Rector of KMH - the Royal Conservatory, Stockholm

Rachel Worby http://muse-ique.com/worby.php
Artistic director, conductor and founder of MUSE/IQUE, Virginia

Maria Badstue http://www.mariabadstue.com
Danish conductor, former pupil of Jorma Panula

Inma Shara https://inmashara.com/en/home/
Spanish conductor with fine track record and particular name for supporting charities

Jasmina Novoknet http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Jasmina_Novokmet
Serbian conductor and professor

Tomomi Nashimoto http://www.tomomi-n.com/en/profile/
Principal conductor and artistic director of IlluminArt Philharmonic Orchestra, Japan

Simone Menezes http://www.simonemenezes.com
Young Brazilian conductor, involved with the Villa Lobos Project

Tania Léon http://www.tanialeon.com
Cuban composer and conductor

Thea Kano http://www.nycmasterchorale.org/about-nycmc/artistic-staff/
Artistic director of New York City Master Chorale

Huan Jing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huan_Jing
Resident conductor of Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra

Maria Guinand https://www.laphil.com/philpedia/maria-guinand
Artistic director of Schola Cantorum de Venezuela

Gabriella Teychenné http://equilibrium-youngartists.com/eq-is-everywhere-gabriella-teychenne/
Young British conductor of Argentinian background, currently (2018) assisting Barbara Hannigan

Hortense von Gelmini https://www.hortense-von-gelmini.com
Austrian conductor and painter

Michi Gaigg http://www.lorfeo.com/en/michi-gaigg/
Award-winning baroque violinist and conductor

Valéria Csányi https://www.naxos.com/person/Valeria_Csanyi/36161.htm
Hungarian conductor who has recorded some fascinating Hungarian repertoire for Naxos

Linda Bouchard http://lindabouchard.com
Canadian composer and conductor

Karen Gorden http://www.karengorden.com
Principal guest conductor of Bingen Festival Orchestra, Germany



SO, ARE YOU STILL GOING TO ASK WHY THERE ARE NO WOMEN CONDUCTORS?
Didn't think so. Ask instead why we do not hear them more often. 

(Oh, and please, please, please stop throwing mud at Petrenko. Enough, already. Let's get some sense of proportion into this - many worse things are going on around us than that, and the chances are that he was joking/misquoted/manipulated for sensationalisation purposes, probably all three.)