BY ZOE DOUGLAS-KINGHORN, LEAD WRITER
Gender equality. What does it look like in the orchestra? Blind auditions and gender-neutral concert blacks may bring balance into classical music, but orchestral leadership still tends to fall (quite literally) into in the hands of men on the podium.
This year, the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra has chosen to push for change, and inspire and engage more diverse musical leaders. Under the direction of acclaimed conductor Elena Schwarz, seven emerging artists will undertake an experience like no other: a program to nurture the development of female conductors.
The TSO’s new Louise Crossley Conducting Workshop is funded through the bequest of Dr Louise Crossley. An eminent Tasmanian scientist, environmentalist, and politician, Crossley was a big fan of the TSO and proud of women forging careers in the orchestra. But to her legacy, she hoped one day orchestras across the world would have as many women at the helm as men.
In this series, we meet some of these future leaders.
Introducing Eugenie Tamplon
Eugenie Tamplon was born in Russia, studied music in Germany, and moved to Sydney in 2010 where she works as a pianist, accompanist, and teacher at the Australian Institute of Music. Heavy. She has performed publicly as a soloist, as a member of a two-piano duo, and in numerous chamber ensembles. Eugenie is a passionate pedagogue and regularly attends master classes in Europe and Australia to advance her own education.
Why do you conduct?
In short, because I love it! I love the music and I love working with people. Conducting is an incredible journey that opens up a whole new world of musical subtleties.
How important is it to ensure women conductors in musical leadership?
It’s very important that we have role models for women. Numerous studies in social psychology, as well as my personal experience, show that women lack confidence (though being equally qualified, or who knows, in some cases maybe better) to take on leading roles. As conducting is a largely male-dominated area, girls do not have enough positive examples to dare their strength, out of fear of not fitting with the current paradigms. “It’s not a girl’s job,” we hear.
This trend has most likely deprived the music scene of some great musicians. It might just be a speculation – but what would music be like today if Mozart’s sister, Clara Schumann, or Fanny Mendelssohn had equal opportunities as composers?
My hope is that, once women conductors become less of an exotic sight, we can all stop worrying about who is holding the baton and start paying more attention to what really matters in this case – the music!
What is your dream piece to conduct and why?
It’s a hard choice between The Rite of Spring by Stravinsky or Westside Story by Leonard Bernstein. I have had a weakness for ballet since early childhood, and I love the magic of the theatre. They are both undoubtedly two of the 20th Century’s masterpieces. The rhythms, the lyrical parts, the madness, the music inquires: what is it that really moves people?
The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra’s new Louise Crossley Conducting Workshop takes place in Hobart on 12 August, 2018.
Stay tuned to read more interviews with the talented new conductors taking part!
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