Pinch me, I may be dreaming! The film star Cate Blanchett has just arrived at the launch party for my book about conducting. For someone who has dedicated years to securing recognition for women in the world of conducting, this feels like a watershed moment. But is it?
Let’s rewind to the early 90s when I first conducted an orchestra at university. There was a smattering of female role models: Sian Edwards and Jane Glover were enjoying careers, and among my peer group, Sarah Ioannides beat the men hands down in a competition to conduct the Oxford Philharmonia. Ten years later I took part in the Leeds Conductors Competition. Although Sian won in 1984, it was so unusual to see a woman selected, they made mention of it in the opening address. Another decade on, in 2013 Marin Alsop became the first woman to conduct the BBC Last Night of the Proms.
