Won't someone please think of the conductors? Archived Message Posted by Raskolnikov on February 20, 2023, 9:41 am Fraudian with its finger on the pulse of what's bothering the public at large; gender imbalance in classical music conducting. Tár’s gender-balanced profession is a utopian fantasy. In the real world, conducting has a gender problem Emma Warren The Bafta-winning film has helped increase visibility of women in conducting, but I long for the day when my presence on the podium won’t be remarked on I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve been asked my thoughts on the film Tár these last few weeks. It seems as if everyone wants to know what it’s really like to be a woman in conducting, and how I feel about the abusive fictional character causing a stir on cinema screens across the globe. Lydia Tár lives in a world that closely resembles present-day reality, complete with references to a recent pandemic. But one notable difference is apparent: in Tár’s world, female conductors have well and truly smashed the glass ceiling, and conducting seems to be a gender-balanced profession. In the film’s opening scenes, Tár talks about how the challenges once faced by women are in the past, and suggests that her fellowship programme for female conductors should be opened up to men as it no longer feels necessary to distinguish between genders. This strikes me as a strange utopian fantasy. In the real world, it’s no secret that conducting has a gender problem. According to recent figures from the Royal Philharmonic Society, there are currently only five female conductors with titled roles amid the several hundred conductors on the staff of professional British orchestras, and only 11% of conductors signed by British agents are women. Things are slowly improving, but as a woman in this field, I still feel like an outlier. I’m currently the only female student on the postgraduate choral conducting course at the Royal Academy of Music, and throughout my musical education, my conducting teachers have been only men. ...continued at link if you're a sucker for punishment. https://www.dumptheguardian.com/music/2023/feb/20/tars-gender-balanced-profession-is-a-utopian-fantasy-in-the-real-world-conducting-has-a-gender-problem Message Thread: Won't someone please think of the conductors? - Raskolnikov February 20, 2023, 9:41 am and Diversity Leaders - Der February 20, 2023, 10:00 am then again, maybe... - Der February 20, 2023, 10:20 am Re: then again, maybe... - Raskolnikov February 20, 2023, 11:32 am But 'feck' the working class - Chris Rogers February 20, 2023, 10:26 am Re: But 'feck' the working class - Ken Waldron February 20, 2023, 2:32 pm Indeed, look at the PLP - Chris Rogers February 20, 2023, 4:27 pm Re: Indeed, look at the PLP - Ken Waldron February 20, 2023, 4:38 pm Sorry Keith, going blind in me old age - Chris Rogers February 20, 2023, 5:08 pm I'm bloody losing it Ken! - Chris Rogers February 20, 2023, 5:21 pm Re: I'm bloody losing it Ken! - Ken Waldron February 20, 2023, 5:38 pm Beyond my keith .. - Shyaku February 21, 2023, 2:00 am Oh ah ken... nm - Ken Waldron February 21, 2023, 2:12 am   Searching