For Good Conduct
Marin Alsop last week became the first conductor to win a $500,000 MacArthur "genius" grant--a nice capper to a year that included being named the first female conductor of a major American orchestra, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
You were a talented violinist. What made you chuck that instrument for the much riskier life of conducting?
I could never forget seeing Leonard Bernstein conduct one of his young people's concerts when I was 9. He was such a charismatic guy--he was jumping around. I loved the idea of having a great time and sharing that great time with so many people.
And years later, you actually studied with Bernstein.
I won an audition for a conducting fellowship at Tanglewood, and we connected in a big way. He was very generous to me with his time and knowledge. I would go over to his apartment in New York and hang out.
Why did the Baltimore musicians gave you a no-confidence vote before you were appointed?
Your guess is as good as mine. My experience with the musicians there has always been tremendous. I started guest conducting in 2002. They asked for me back. I highly doubt it has anything to do with my gender. I'm pretty high energy, committed, demanding, all those things; maybe that's part of it.
Conducting looks like tough work--all that arm-flapping.
Physically, it's not terribly demanding because the baton is so light. It's more like an aerobics class where you're moving without weights. For me it's a mental challenge to stay focused for a really long amount of time. I exercise every day. It gives me a mental edge.
How do you fix the financial woes big orchestras are facing?
We need to do some community events, be more visible, be more accessible. In my other positions with orchestras I've done a lot of talking--I do a series at the Tattered Cover bookstore in Denver, and at Eugene [in Oregon], I did lunchtime talks, free to the public. The BSO is one of the very few symphony orchestras that's actually lowering its ticket price.
This story appears in the October 3, 2005 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.
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