“Only about six percent of the world’s professional classical music orchestras are headed by women,” writes Lisa Bryant in Thursday’s (9/17) Voice of America. “But in France, there is a drive to change that, including La Maestra—an international competition for women conductors in Paris. The winner of the contest, which attracted more than 200 applicants from Asia, Europe and the Americas, will be announced later this month. Laurent Bayle, director of the Paris Philharmonic, which is co-hosting La Maestra, said the victor and runner-ups will get two years of intensive mentoring and other support…. The Paris Mozart Orchestra … is co-hosting this event…. The jury is headed by a female conductor [Ewa Bogusz-Moore] and is gender balanced.” Jury members include Marin Alsop, Elizabeth Askren, Lionel Bringuier, Jean-Claude Casadesus, and Claire Gibault. The twelve finalists competing this week are Mélisse Brunet, Sara Caneva, Stephanie Childress, Holly Hyun Choe, Maria Fuller, Lina Gonzalez-Granados, Yuwon Kim, Jiajing Lai, Delyana Lazarova, Ana Patiño Osorio, Rebecca Tong, and Gladysmarli Vadel. The final round of the competition is set for September 18 at Grande salle Pierre Boulez | Philharmonie.
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