Continuing the celebration of Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy 10th anniversary, honoring our source of inspiration, namely The Women’s Philharmonic. Our second essay is by Ann Krinitsky. As Director of Marin Symphony Youth Performance programs and the Virtuoso Program at San Domenico School, Ann Krinitsky also conducts Family Concerts with the Marin Symphony. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, and completed three summers of study at the Conductors’ Institute at Hartt School of Music in Connecticut. She guest conducted the Women’s Philharmonic, and received the 2000-01 JoAnn Falletta Conducting Award, given by The Women’s Philharmonic and funded by the Stein Foundation for the Arts and Sciences.
To say The Women’s Philharmonic has had a tremendous impact impact on my life would be an understatement. As a recent graduate of UC Berkeley, being welcomed into The Women’s Philharmonic was like receiving an encouraging embrace by a family of musicians who supported my work as well as that of women world-wide. The message I received as a young orchestral musician and conductor was that “what you’re doing is extremely valuable and important, and we can pool our efforts to elevate the status and awareness of talented musicians everywhere.”
The camaraderie with and admiration of my fellow musicians was immediate and only deepened over the years. Observing and working directly with JoAnn and Apo on extremely challenging repertoire gave me a front row seat and invaluable lessons on the technique and artistry of rehearsing, performing, orchestral diplomacy, and so many other necessary skills I’ve been able to use since then. I enjoyed meeting a number of composers whose works I continue to program with my ensembles. I was fortunate to conduct the Community Women’s Orchestra, which continues to thrive. I’m eternally grateful to fellow board member and founder Nan Washburn for suggesting I attend the Conductors Institute, which led to great professional and personal fulfillment!