Dear Mr. Austin:
Am leaving for New York in the morning – after a very wonderful
visit. Kindness of every sort has been
showered upon me – officially and personally.
Am enclosing two notices which I’d like back – please later. All the papers were good to me – and the
consensus of opinion seems to be that I really can conduct!
(January 18, 1930 Gena Branscombe letter to her publisher, Mr. Austin,
at Arthur P. Schmidt Co. in Boston- held at the Library of Congress)
On January 8, 1930 a woman conductor, Gena
Branscombe, led The Women’s Symphony Orchestra of Chicago in a performance of
her music, “The Dancer of Fjaard, ‘On Over the Water’ from “Pilgrims of Destiny,”
and the ‘Symphonic Suite for Orchestra’ from her “Quebec Suite.”
From this concert she noted the importance of kindness, positive press
coverage and the recognition that “…I really can conduct.”
The Chicago women’s orchestra was found in 1925. Their mission was to
premiere music by women composers, play under the direction of acclaimed women
conductors, award scholarships and give female professional orchestral brass
and woodwind musicians the opportunity to perform on a high level.
Having been part of the Chicago music culture from 1896 through 1907, Gena
Branscombe was invited to conduct The Women’s Symphony Orchestra of Chicago.
“…I really can conduct.”
Over 90 years ago the inequity in the classical music world was
jarring. Inequity? Has the inequity
vanished? Does it continue to be a
problem? Hmmmm – let’s take a look at
those questions.
Gena was conducting a women’s orchestra because of gender gap. She was capable of conducting any orchestra
whether men or women or a combination of both.
Women were not auditioned or hired by all –male orchestras. They were considered second rate musicians
unable to handle long, arduous rehearsal schedules and extended hours of
touring and concertizing.
To right this obvious wrong – as we roll our eyes in disbelief - women
formed their own orchestras to perform music they were capable of playing. The same music men played. From the mid to late 19th century
through the mid-20th century women’s orchestras such as the Vienna
Damen Orchester, The Berlin Lady Orchestra, Ladies Philharmony, Montreal Women’s
Orchestra, Women’s String Orchestra of New York, The Cleveland Women’s
Orchestra and the Boston Fadette Orchestra existed. These women orchestral musicians were as
serious, capable and as well trained as their male counterparts. Yet they had to be self-made orchestras,
self-promoted and self-supporting through their own fund-raising!
“…I really can conduct.”
By 1919 women were admitted to the Queen’s Hall Orchestra of London. World War II opened chair positions for women
orchestral musicians as men went off to war.
Women were able to keep those positions post war. A small part of the gender gap was
eroding.
Edna Philips, harp, joined the
Philadelphia Orchestra in 1930 under the direction of Leopold Stokowski. It was 1997 before the Vienna Philharmonic
allowed harpist Anna Lelkes to become full member status of the orchestra. In 1982 the first woman was allowed
membership in the Berlin Philharmonic.
“…I really can conduct.”
And, what about women orchestral
conductors? Where were they in this
gender gap? When did they begin
conducting orchestras?
Mary Wurm became the first woman conductor of
the Berlin Philharmonic in 1887. Since
then women such as Antonia Brico conducted the Berlin Philharmonic in
1930. Of today’s women conductors Simone
Young and Susanne Mälkki have performed with the Berlin Philharmonic. Major American orchestras have opened their
podiums to women conductors. Nathalie
Stutzman is the Atlanta Symphony’s Music Director and recently made her New
York Philharmonic debut. Jo Ann Falletta is Music Director of the Buffalo
Philharmonic. Marin Alsop was Music
Director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra from 2007-2021 and continues to
conduct orchestras around the world. The
gender gap continues to erode yet we want more women on the podiums as Music
Director of the major symphony orchestras!
“…I really can conduct.”
And, what about women composers whose music is
being performed by orchestras? Recently
the media published articles about the increase in the number of women
composers whose music is being performed by leading orchestras. The Orchestra Repertoire Report research
shows a 638% increase in performances of music composed by women at symphony
halls and women composers of color – the increase in their music being
performed is 1425%! Yet, why has it
taken this long to get where we are today?
Composer Julie Wolfe has said she has battled
sexism in the classical music world. She
gives credit to her mentors and predecessors who had career paths more
difficult than she as no one in classical music recognized them or their fight
to have their music performed. Quoting
Ms. Wolfe, “You just want to be a composer.
You don’t want to be a “female composer.”
Isn’t this what women composers from Hildegard
von Bingen to Clara Schmann to Alma Mahler to Margaret Ruthven Lang to Fanny
Mendelssohn to Amy Beach to Meredith Monk to Florence Price to Margaret Bonds to
Gena Branscombe have been saying across the ages? Why has it taken this long?
Orchestras are giving heed to the gender gap
and programming women’s music. From the
Philadelphia Orchestra to the New York Philharmonic to the Chicago Symphony,
Sarasota Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, San Diego Symphony and the Detroit
Symphony Orchestra - programming
the music of women composers has become important, yet, in reality, it is music composed by people
whose hearts are expressed in their art. The gender gap is eroding.
Conductors raise your batons to give downbeats
because you are a conductor no matter your gender.
And, in Miss Branscombe’s words, “…..I really
can conduct.”
#BringingBackBranscombe
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