In perusing the schedule for my upcoming Tanglewood visit this weekend, I came across a name I wasn’t familiar with: Anna Handler, one of the Boston Symphony’s two assistant conductors, who makes her BSO debut on Saturday night. Handler, 29, is from Munich and already an accomplished musician: as a student, she founded the Enigma Classica ensemble, and has already conducted at the Salzburg Festival and Hollywood Bowl, among other notable venues. This fall, she becomes Kapellmeister (deputy director) of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the second largest opera house in Germany and one of the largest in the world.
Which got me thinking: why haven’t I heard of Handler? Is it her relative youth? Well, she’s the same age as Klaus Mäkelä, incoming music director of two of the world’s most prestigious orchestras: the Chicago Symphony and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra – though it remains to be seen whether he deserves either. Is it that Handler started out as a pianist and only finished her conductor training at Juilliard in 2023?
Or, is it something much more basic?
Despite the appearance of powerful maestras in films like Tár, in the real world women conductors are still relatively rare. According to a 2023 report by the League of American Orchestras, only 1 in 9 U.S. orchestras have women music directors; that number falls to 1 in 18 (5.5%) at larger orchestras. Currently, only one woman leads a top-tier U.S. orchestra: Nathalie Stutzmann, 60, music director of the Atlanta Symphony. (She’ll be joined in the fall by Xian Zhang, 52, who takes the reins at the Seattle Symphony.) There has never been a woman director at any of the “Big Five Seven” orchestras in the U.S., nor at any of the leading orchestras of Europe. (Women have fared slightly better in the opera house: besides Handler, other prominent opera directors include San Francisco Opera‘s Eun Sun Kim and Washington National Opera’s Francesca Zambello.)
As guest conductors, women will lead approximately 22% of the concerts this season at the top 21 orchestras in the U.S., according to a recent study by the Women’s Philharmonic Society – an improvement from a decade ago, but still far from the gender parity currently found within most major orchestras. (The NY Phil became majority female in 2022.)
There are all sorts of reasons for this, most of them wrapped up in sexist stereotypes about women’s ability to lead – ironic, given that, as BBC Music Magazine points out, women are more likely to become the leader of a G7 nation or a four-star general than the conductor of a major American orchestra. In 2013, Russian conductor Vasily Petrenko told a Norwegian newspaper that orchestras “react better when they have a man in front of them,” and that “a cute girl on a podium means that musicians think about other things.” (To be fair, many women conductors have deliberately amped up the sex appeal in their marketing.) There’s also a chicken-and-egg dynamic at work: as the Times pointed out back in 2021, most top orchestras demand that a conductor have significant podium experience before booking them, but where do you get that experience if you can’t get hired?
The biggest problem is that classical music has always been stubbornly resistant to change, with orchestra boards (which have always been majority men) and even the musicians themselves wanting to keep things sounding – and looking – just like they always have. But, while that plea for continuity is understandable in our ever-changing world, these stakeholders risk ignoring how society has to come to view the prodigious capabilities of women, which are often the equal of – if not necessarily as showy as – their male counterparts.
Fortunately, women are slowly-but-surely chipping away at the glass podium. Marin Alsop made headlines when in 2005 she became the first woman to be named music director of a major American orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony. In 2021, Oksana Lyniv became the first woman ever invited to conduct at the Bayreuth Festival; the following year, she became the first female director of an Italian opera house, the Teatro Comunale di Bologna. In 2023, Joana Mallwitz became chief conductor and artistic director of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, making her the first woman conductor of any Berlin orchestra.
There are also more opportunities than ever for women conductors to log those precious hours in front of professional orchestras. At the Tanglewood Music Center, many of the conducting fellows have been women, including Alsop, Gemma New, Mei-Ann Chen and this year’s fellow, Yiran Zhao. Since 2009, a third of the LA Phil’s Dudamel Fellowship conductors have been women, including Handler, Elim Chan, and the much-hyped Lithuanian conductor Mirga Gražinyte-Tyla. In 2020, the biennial La Maestra competition and academy was founded in Paris; the following year, Alsop started her own conducting academy at the National Orchestral Institute. And, more women than ever are getting exposure through assistant conductor slots, as Handler is this weekend. (Another up-and-coming conductor, Lina Gonzalez-Granados, leads the BUTI Orchestra at Ozawa Hall Saturday afternoon.)
To gain a sense of the landscape, I thought I’d put together a cheat sheet of today’s leading women conductors. Some of these women already enjoy wide name recognition, while others are just embarking on what will hopefully be long and fruitful careers. As with anything, some of these conductors are better than others. But, after assembling these lists, I don’t see how anyone can claim that there just aren’t any capable women conductors out there. Who knows, maybe some orchestra boards might find these lists useful during their next music director search.
Actually, let’s make two lists to better gauge where these women are in their career trajectory: one for those Under 50 and another for Over 50. Each is ordered alphabetically, the only criteria being that they are actively engaged for the 2025-26 season. Feel free to comment/complain/add your own candidates in the comments below.
Women Conductors Under 50:
1. Tabita Berglund (b. 1989) Norwegian. Currently Principal Guest Conductor of the Dresden Philharmonic and Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Berglund performed as a cellist with the Oslo and Bergen Philharmonic orchestras before switching her focus to conducting. Leads some 20 concerts this season across Europe and the U.S., though none in New York.
2. Karina Canellakis (b. 1981) The most successful American woman conductor of her generation, Canellakis is currently chief conductor of Radio Filharmonisch Orkest (she is the first woman chief conductor of any Dutch orchestra) and the principal guest conductor of the London Philharmonic. She has garnered high praise from critics for her restrained approach and adventurous programming: after her concerts last February with the NY Phil, the Times’ Zach Woolfe proclaimed, “You have to hope she ends up with a prime position in the United States, one commensurate with her considerable gifts.”
3. Elim Chan (b. 1986) Born in Hong Kong, Chan is the former Chief conductor of Antwerp Symphony Orchestra. A bit of a head scratcher: she is one of today’s busiest freelancers, conducting more than 60 concerts this season, including four with the NY Phil (5/27-5/30). And yet, she never went to a music conservatory – she studied conducting at Michigan, where she got her MM and DMA – and has never professionally played an instrument (she played cello and piano in her youth.) Perhaps a bit of an overachiever? Personally, I wasn’t impressed when I saw her with the Phil last season, but she has been known to make others climax. (You can hear her Tanglewood debut from two weeks ago here).
4. Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla (b. 1986) Another much-hyped conductor, the Lithuanian is the former music director of City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, one-time launching pad of Sir Simon Rattle and BSO music director Andris Nelsons. As the first woman conductor signed to Deutsche Grammophon, Mirga now happily spends her time as a freelancer. Having made an impressive debut with the NY Phil in 2023, she returns this season to conduct two weeks of programs (2/27-3/7), including the NY premiere of John Williams’ Piano Concerto with Manny Ax reprising his world premiere performance at Tanglewood a few weeks ago.
5. Eun Sun Kim (b. 1980) The South Korean conductor was named music director of the San Francisco Opera in 2021 and has since found herself at the top rung of the music world, with guest appearances at the Berlin Philharmonic, Met Opera, La Scala, Vienna Staatsoper and Royal Opera House Covent Garden, to name a few. Last season she made an impressive debut with the NY Phil, conducting a new piano concerto by Anders Hillborg, also written for Manny Ax.
6. Oksana Lyniv (b. 1978) In 2021, the Ukrainian conductor became the first woman ever invited to conduct at the Bayreuth Festival; the following year, she became the first female music director of an Italian opera house, the Teatro Comunale di Bologna. Former chief conductor of the Graz Opera and Graz Philharmonic Orchestra, she made her Met Opera debut last season in Puccini’s Turandot; she returns to conduct it again next spring (5/19-6/6).
7. Joana Mallwitz (b. 1986) The fast-rising German became chief conductor and artistic director of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin in 2023, making her the first female conductor of any Berlin orchestra. Signed to Deutsche Grammophon, Mallwitz released her first album – featuring the music of Kurt Weill – with the Konzerthausorchester last year. Charismatic and confident, with sweeping gestures that she developed herself, Mallwitz made her successful Met Opera debut this spring in Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro. If Mallwitz continues on her current trajectory, there might just be another Berlin orchestra in her future.
8. Gemma New (b. 1986) The New Zealander is currently principal conductor of her hometown New Zealand Symphony Orchestra following posts in St. Louis, Dallas, and Hamilton, Ontario. A frequent guest conductor, she made her NY Phil debut conducting the 2021 Memorial Day concert during lockdown at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. I first remember seeing New at Tanglewood in 2018, where she made an impression leading the TMC Orchestra in a variety of works, including this performance of Smetana’s Vysherad from Ma Vlast.
9. Ruth Reinhardt (b. 1988) The German conductor begins her tenure this fall as music director of the Rhode Island Philharmonic, following a successful tenure as Assistant Conductor at the Dallas Symphony. A former Tanglewood and Dudamel Fellow, she made her debut with the NY Phil in 2023, leading the NY premiere of a 70 minute piano concerto by Thonas Adès. Reinhardt has been particularly outspoken about the difficulties facing women conductors, telling the Times:”We have thousands of male conductors, and there’s good male conductors and bad male conductors and everything in between. There should be a right to have just as many women conductors.”
10. Dalia Stasevska (b. 1984) The Ukrainian-born Finnish conductor is the Chief conductor of Lahti Symphony Orchestra and principal guest conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Stasevska, who I saw conduct an emotional performance of Sibelius’ 2nd symphony with the NY Phil in 2023, returns to the Phil this November with a program dedicated to the Ukrainian people, including Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man and Britten’s Sinfonia da Requiem. Noted for her activism as much as she is for her conducting, Stasevska is a rare example of an artist putting their time and money where their mouth is.
Honorable Mentions: Joana Carneiro, Marta Gardolińska, Lina Gonzalez-Granados, Glass Marcano, Alondra de la Parra
Women Conductors Over 50:
1. Marin Alsop (b. 1956) Without question, the most famous and accomplished woman conductor of all time. Mentored by none other than Leonard Bernstein and the subject of a 2021 documentary about her groundbreaking career, Alsop is currently the Chief Conductor Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Chief Conductor of the Ravinia Festival, Principal Guest Conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra and Philadelphia Orchestra, and Music Director Laureate of the Baltimore Symphony and São Paolo Symphony Orchestra. She is also the former Chief Conductor of the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra (the first woman ever named chief conductor of an Austrian orchestra) and former Music Director of California’s Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music. This season, Alsop is a Carnegie Hall Perspective Artist, appearing with the Philharmonia Orchestra (10/28), Ensemble Connect Up Close (1/31) The Philadelphia Orchestra (3/31), The Juilliard Orchestra (4/6), and the National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic (6/17)
2. Mei-Ann Chen (b. 1973) The Taiwanese conductor is the longtime music director of the Chicago Sinfonietta and Chief Conductor of the Grosses Orchester Graz at Styriarte, as well as conductor laureate of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. A noted mentor to younger conductors, Chen teaches with Marin Alsop at the National Orchestral Institute + Festival.
3. Sian Edwards (b. 1959) Formerly the music director of English National Opera, Edwards is now the Head of Conducting at the Royal Academy of Music and an outspoken advocate for women conductors. Although she doesn’t spend much time on the podium these days, Edwards will appear at Glyndebourne this month to conduct four performances of Verdi’s Falstaff.
4. Dame Jane Glover (b. 1949) The veteran British conductor, renowned for her work in Baroque music, begins her tenure this fall as Principal Guest Conductor of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra while continuing as music director of Chicago’s Music of the Baroque. Formerly the Director of Opera at the Royal Academy of Music, she returns to conduct the NY Phil in their annual performances of Handel’s Messiah December 10-13.
5. Emmanuelle Haïm (b. 1962) French. A Baroque specialist, Haïm is the founder and music director of Le Concert d’Astrée, which she conducts from the keyboard. Among her appearances as a guest conductor this year are the Salzburg Festival, the Berlin and LA Philharmonics, and the Dutch National Opera.
6. Barbara Hannigan (b. 1971) Already one of the most extraordinary sopranos of our time and a fearless advocate for new music, the Canadian dynamo has now taken on a second career as a conductor. Currently Principal Guest Conductor of Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Première Artiste Invitée of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Associate Artist of the London Symphony Orchestra, and Principal Guest Conductor of the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, she begins her tenure as Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra in 2026. Next spring, Hannigan returns to the NY Phil 4/23-25 for a highly anticipated program including her own production of Poulenc’s La Voix Humane, in which she both sings and conducts from the podium.
7. Susanna Mälkki (b. 1969) Often spoken of as a leading candidate to take over a major U.S. orchestra, the formidable Finn has had a varied career as former music director of Ensemble Intercontemporain, Chief Conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic and Principal Guest conductor of the LA Phil. In addition to her new role as Professor of orchestral conducting at the Sibelius Academy, Mälkki will return to the Met Opera in April to conduct a new production of Kaija Saariaho’s final opera, Innocence.
8. Nathalie Stutzmann (b. 1965) The French contralto began conducting in the early 2000’s, and following principal guest conductor roles at the Philadelphia Orchestra and Ireland’s RTÉ National Symphony, she was named the 10th music director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in 2022, becoming the only woman conductor of a major U.S. orchestra. Equally in demand at opera houses, Stutzmann made her debuts at the Met Opera and the Bayreuth Festival in 2023, becoming only the second woman ever (after Lyniv) to conduct at Bayreuth.
9. Simone Young (b. 1961) The Australian is currently the chief conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and was previously music director of Opera Australia, the Hamburg Philharmonic, Hamburg Opera and the Bergen Philharmonic. A Wagner specialist, she became the first woman ever to conduct Wagner’s Ring at 2024 the Bayreuth Festival, a feat she repeats this summer.
10. Xian Zhang (b. 1973) The Chinese conductor has been music director of the New Jersey Symphony since 2016, and this fall becomes music director of the Seattle Symphony, becoming one of only two women (with Stutzmann) to lead a major U.S. orchestra. She is also principal guest conductor of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, as well as former music director of the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Guiseppe Verdi. A frequent guest of the NY Phil, she returns January 15-18 with pianist Yefim Bronfman.
Honorable Mentions: JoAnn Falletta, Alice Farnham, Jeannette Sorrell, Keri-Lynn Wilson, Francesca Zambello