DALLAS — The acclaimed new movie "Tár" is stirring up controversy with its portrayal of Lydia Tár, a fictional female conductor. Tár, played by Cate Blanchett, is predatory, controlling and abuses her power throughout the movie.
Blanchett’s Tár is make-believe, but the film has reignited an all too realistic conversation about the lack of female conductors in orchestras and opera companies.
In the U.S., the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Nathalie Stutzmann is the only female music director at a major orchestra. Both the Dallas and Fort Worth symphony orchestras have never been led by female music directors, though the DSO has hired several female assistant conductors over the past few decades, and appointed Gemma New as principal guest conductor in 2018. The FWSO has also brought in more female guest conductors in recent seasons. Classical music groups across the country have also been programming more female composers, but they are still underrepresented.
