Women are making a full-fledged entry into the world of command that used to be a man ’s stronghold. This month, Nooka Okazawa (32) from Aomori won the French Besancon International Music Competition, known as a gateway to young conductors. From “dictatorship” that leads many people with strong personality, to “cooperative” that softly bundles various individualities. The change of the times seems to be the background of the breakthrough.
The movie “Lady Maestro”, which depicts the half-life of Antonia Brico, who is now considered a “female conductor pioneer”, is now available. It was also announced that a female conductor will be led for the first time in 2021 by a new production that will be performed at the Bayreuth Festival in Germany. Women who want to become conductors are now becoming minorities.
Nonetheless, the conductor is still often seen as a macho image that swings out a long symphony. There is no denying that women are standing on the podium, and there remains a trend that seems to be “special”.
Simone Young (58), from Sydney, is one of the talented people who dismissed the title of “female conductor”. He gained extensive experience in opera and swept over opera in various parts of Europe and America. There were many fans in Japan for guest performances at the second-quarter performance, and it was announced that the NHK Symphony Orchestra “Ninth” would be held at the end of this year.
When I interviewed three years ago ...