“You’re a woman and our orchestra just won’t have you”: the politics of otherness in the conducting profession

Abstract

In the musical profession of conducting, men have had the power to construct and cultivate customs and traditions and, as a result, the role of the conductor has been imbued with so-called 'masculine traits.' While the role has historically been subjected to continuous changes - linked to the rise and fall of musical institutions, the sociology of music, and the expansion of musical composition - its modern-day incarnation has remained deeply entrenched in nineteenth-century ideology and concepts of patriarchy. Its current position at the height of the orchestral hierarchy has kept it largely 'untouchable', and protected from any drastic changes. While contemporary conductors have been allowed a degree of individual expression on the podium, they have also been expected to comply with the role's sacrosanct rituals and traditions in order to succeed.