News to start your week!
The Women Composers Festival of Hartford, which took place March 10-13, included a keynote address by WPA President Liane Curtis. Conductor Dr. Amelia Nagoski offered her reflection on Liane’s message on her blog, Thoughtful Gestures.
Be also to read the Spring 2016 issue of the Kapralova Society Journal. (And visit the Kapralova Society homepage to learn more about what they are doing to educate and advocate on behalf of their namesake, Vítězslava Kaprálová, as well as all women composers.)
It was just announced that Susanna Mälkki and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra have signed a recording contract with Bis Records which will result in four albums in the coming years. The first will be recorded in May 2017 when Mälkki takes over as Chief Conductor.
And filed under “not surprising, but still disappointing”, Russian conductor Yuri Temirkanov, who has a history of being overt about his sexist viewpoints (Alex Ross wrote about it for the New Yorker in 2013) has decided to double down on his statements. In an interview with the Baltimore Sun Temirkanov reiterated his viewpoints about women conductors:
A few years ago, you were quoted as saying that you did not believe women should conduct. That caused controversy and led to some protests. Just for the record, what is your view about women on the podium?
Yes, women can be conductors. I am not against them conducting. But I simply don’t like it. There are women boxing and weightlifting; they can do that. But I don’t like watching. It is only my taste. We all have different tastes. For example, I don’t eat fish.