Met Opera hosts 4 female conductors in landmark week. From its founding to 2016, there were only 4
Only four women conducted the Metropolitan Opera in its first 133 years ending in 2016, but now four women have taken the baton in a one-week span
NEW YORK (AP) — Oksana Lyniv, Speranza Scappucci, Marin Alsop and Xian Zhang filled their lockers in the guest conductors’ dressing room off the Metropolitan Opera’s orchestra pit. Just four women had led the orchestra from 1883 through 2016, but four took the baton in a landmark week from April 19-26.
“Maybe I’ll say it because they’re probably a bit too shy to say,” declared Alsop, at 67 the senior member of the group. “It has to not be unusual for it to be part of the fabric. It takes a long time for society to get comfortable with different things, and our industry is very conservative.”
Lyniv led Puccini’s “Turandot” on April 19, and Scappucci conducted Puccini’s “La Rondine” the following day. Alsop was in the pit for the Met premiere of John Adams’ “El Niño” on April 23, and Zhang helmed Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” on April 26.
"It’s like a different woman conductor arrived in New York simultaneously,” Lyniv said. “Now I can say it’s much easier to build a career than 20 years ago, 25 years ago, when I was a student and just started."
