Great Women Conductors

Explore the power and grace of the world's foremost women conductors on medici.tv, where the finest music transcends all limits!

Imagine conducting one of the most prestigious orchestras in the world, where the greatest geniuses of symphonic music have graced the stage: all eyes are focused on you, the audience hold their breath in anticipation of your gesture! Today, conducting is no longer a realm exclusive to men, and the most eminent women conductors have shown that gender stereotypes can be overcome. It all began with Antonia Brico, the first woman to painstakingly earn the role of conductor of the New York Philharmonic in 1938. Her story started in Rotterdam, where Antonia was born into a family of musicians. After relocating to the United States, her talent was recognized, leading her to be selected to study piano and composition at the University of California, Berkeley. Later, she moved to New York to study orchestral conducting under Albert Stoessel, becoming one of the first women conductors ever. With a pioneering spirit, Antonia founded her own orchestra, which she named the Brico Symphony Orchestra, in 1930. However, the pinnacle of her career came through the intervention of the renowned composer Arturo Toscanini, who recommended her to conduct the New York Philharmonic! Despite the challenges she faced along the way, Brico demonstrated great determination, using her talent to reach heights never before granted to any woman. Thus, since 1938, she has become a beacon of inspiration for all women conductors! Similar challenges and a similarly dazzling career can be found in Marin Alsop’s story, one of the brightest stars in the modern musical firmament. Alsop was only nine years old when she was struck by a concert conducted by Leonard Bernstein, and her future unfolded before her eyes: she would become a conductor when she grew up! At the time, there were not many women conductors, but thanks to the support of her father, who was also a musician, Alsop managed to become a student of the great Bernstein himself over the years. Between 1989 and 1996, he guided her to conduct the American ensemble Eugene Symphony. In her illustrious career, Alsop went on to lead the Colorado Symphony, the Bournemouth Symphony, and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, eventually becoming the principal conductor of the São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra in 2012, as well as a guest conductor for the New York Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra. But her commitment to increasing the number of women conductors is also noteworthy, making her role as a conductor both a social and artistic mission! An example of feminine success for all to see! Come discover their stories and many more on medici.tv, the best platform for streaming classical music. From Baroque music to the best contemporary operas productions, let yourself be guided by the pleasure of listening!

The greatest artists and women conductors on your #1 classical music streaming channel

There's like an unexplored side of music history, an untold story: that of female musicians. Let alone thinking about women conductors! The most famous and emblematic case of how women were treated throughout music history is certainly that of Clara Wieck, Schumann's wife. An incredibly virtuosic pianist, Clara was also a prolific composer from a young age, although her work often remained overshadowed by her husband's success or even incorrectly attributed to him. Today, fortunately, women have managed to earn a well-deserved place in the symphonic music landscape, occupying roles that were traditionally male-dominated, such as that of conductor! We can mention women conductors like Nadia Boulanger, the first woman to lead the Boston Symphony, and JoAnn Falletta, who has been at the helm of the Denver Chamber Orchestra since 1982. Anna Wilhelm was a conductor in the 1980s for chamber concerts at the prestigious Teatro alla Scala in Milan. But among women conductors we must also mention Sian Edwards of the English National Opera, Xian Zhang, who directed Le Nozze di Figaro at the Central Opera House in Beijing, and Susanna Malkki, who in 2011 became the first female conductor to lead a world premiere (Luca Francesconi's Quartet) at Teatro alla Scala and is now the principal conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic. Today, our streaming video catalogue provides you with a VIP ticket to see your favorite women conductors in live streaming classical music concerts, plus 24/7 digital access to legendary performances from the year of your choice. Watch women conducting musical masterpieces: Alma Deutscher taking on her own music in the United States, Marin Alsop leading the Orchestre de Paris as the principal guest conductor, Laurence Equilbey conducting an all-Beethoven concert, Emmanuelle Haïm conducting Monteverdi's opera L'Incoronazione di Poppea… medici.tv’s online streaming experience has you covered, your own private philharmonic performing the world’s greatest classical music at any given time!