The Female Conductor Programme

Alice Farnham, Female Conductors Programme

The Female Conductor Programme is a 10 month programme which we hope will encourage high calibre female musicians to take up the baton and take the first step onto the podium to become orchestral conductors.

The National Concert Hall, with the generous support of Grant Thornton, and building on existing programmes in other countries, will work with Alice Farnham to guide twelve novice conductors through 10 months of workshops and rehearsals. The programme will culminate with a showcase concert with the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra in summer 2018.

Why are the National Concert Hall and Grant Thornton launching this programme?

Autumn 2013 marked the first occasion, in its 122 year history, that a female conductor took to the podium on the Last Night of the Proms. The subsequent media coverage and reaction highlighted the scarcity of female conductors.

The position of orchestra conductor remains the most enduring and unyielding glass ceilings for women in the world of classical music. While much progress has been made over the last 20 years in terms of female participation as orchestral musicians, the lack of female orchestral conductors is an undeniable indicator that there is a great deal more to be done in this area to encourage women to consider this leadership position.

The statistics supporting this are stark: At the end of 2014, music listings website Bachtrack reported that of the top 150 conductors of that year, only 5 were women. Across US orchestras in 2015, the ratio of male to female conductors was 80:20; in the 22 highest budget orchestras, there were 21 male and 1 female conductors.

Supported by Grant Thornton, the National Concert Hall’s Female Conductor Programme aims to take steps in redressing this imbalance through an innovative programme designed to coach, mentor, encourage and promote talented female conductors at the outset of their careers.

Speaking on the launch of the NCH Female Conductor Programme, Paul Jacobs, Partner, Forensics and Investigation Services, Grant Thornton said:

"The Grant Thornton Forensics Department are delighted to support the NCH and their new Female Conductor Programme. Diversity is a core initiative in Grant Thornton and as the Forensics Department are long-time supporters of the NCH, this new initiative really appealed to our firm values. It is important to us that the glass ceiling is broken across industry and the arts. This initiative is a real positive and progressive step forward for women in the arts."

Programme outline