Women in Classical Music Editorial - Dallas Symphony Orchestra

THE FUTURE IS FEMALE—AND SO IS THE PRESENT

Soprano Award of Excellence Recipient

Principal Harp Elsa von Seggern Chair Dallas Symphony Orchestra

An all-women orchestra is headed to Dallas.

On Tuesday, November 5, members of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra will present Full STEAM Ahead, a concert led and performed by an all-female orchestra. This idea may seem a bit of a novelty until one realizes that all-male orchestras were the standard for decades. It wasn’t until 1997 that a woman was allowed to join the Vienna Philharmonic, one of the world’s premier orchestras.

(The first female member was the harpist who had been performing with them in an uncredited role for years, and as Principal Harp of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, this fact strikes a nerve.) When viewed from this perspective, a symposium on women in classical music seems not only needed, but long overdue.

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Gemma New Principal Guest Conductor - Dolores G. & Lawrence S. Barzune, M.D. Chair Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Kim Noltemy

Emily Levin

Dawn Upshaw

By Emily Levin, Dallas Symphony Orchestra Principal Harp (Elsa von Seggern Chair)

Ross Perot President & CEO Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Why a Symposium?

The Women in Classical Music Symposium will take place from November 6 through 9 at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center. Featuring an all-star lineup of performers, administrators and leaders throughout classical music, the symposium offers a platform for both men and women to meet and discuss the challenges and opportunities for women in today’s ever-evolving musical world. Although women are continuing to make strides in positions of authority and the ability to enact change, they do not yet occupy a significant portion of the industry’s leadership, both in the orchestra and in administration.

Looking at the DSO and twelve of the highest-paid orchestras in the United States per the International Conference of Symphony and Opera

Musicians (ICSOM), the statistics are a bit sobering: Less than one third of all principals are female (The Philadelphia Orchestra has the most, at five out of 17, and San Francisco Symphony has the least, at zero).

There are no female chief conductors.

(In fact, there are only two female chief conductors of American orchestras — Marin Alsop of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and JoAnn Falletta of the Buffalo Philharmonic).

Progress has been made, but there is still a long way to go to create a truly egalitarian environment in the world of classical music. The Women in Classical Music Symposium creates a space that gathers leaders of both genders, from around the country, and provides a public platform to share ideas, offer thoughts for the future and discuss solutions to the problems facing women in today’s world.

Why Dallas?

This symposium would not have been possible without the leadership and vision of Kim Noltemy, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s Ross Perot President & CEO. As a female executive in the world of orchestras, Kim has been instrumental in putting Dallas at the forefront of visionary change in classical music, and this symposium is only one of her initiatives to propel Dallas forward.

Too often, orchestras attempt to solve the disparity of female presence in music by creating niche opportunities that only serve to temporarily solve the problem without fostering an environment for change. The Dallas Symphony Orchestra, however, is

displaying creativity and dedication to changing the gender imbalance in the classical workplace, from the Women in Classical Music Symposium, to our female Principal Guest Conductor appointment to the focus on new works from both female and male composers.

The Dallas Opera is another example of this vision in their Hart Institute for Women Conductors workshop and performance. Now in its 5th year, the institute gives conductors who are female the opportunity to work with an opera orchestra and soloists in the preparation and performance of arias and opera excerpts.

As we enter the second decade of the 21st century, the world at large is focusing on the role of women and how to ensure their voices are heard in the cacophony of opinions.

Classical music is only one facet of this discussion, and the innovation and forethought displayed throughout the Dallas Arts District is truly incredible. Dallasites should be proud of the visionary ideas coming out of our city.

WOMEN in CLASSICAL MUSIC

SYMPOSIUM

First Annual Conference

Nov 6-9, 2019 DALLA S, TX

Keynote Speaker and Honoree Dawn Upshaw Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center Dallas, Texas Panelists, discussion and ticket information available at mydso.com/women

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