Marin Alsop at Podium, Minus Her Baton

Internationally known conductor Marin Alsop, a former student of Leonard Bernstein’s, was the first woman to conduct a major American orchestra and remains the only woman at the podium of one of the nation’s top 20 symphony orchestras. Photo by Grant Leighton

Marin Alsop is probably one of the few mere mortals who could concurrently be principal conductor and music director of orchestras in two major cities, Baltimore and São Paulo, Brazil, presiding over both with electrifying zeal. But her efforts extend well beyond the podium, as reflected in her intense commitment to public music education, community outreach, and introducing new orchestral works.

A former student of Leonard Bernstein’s, Alsop was the first woman to conduct a major American orchestra, and remains the only woman at the podium of one of the nation’s top 20 symphony orchestras. At 58, she has garnered a litany of awards and honors, including a Grammy and a MacArthur Fellowship. She has spearheaded numerous musical initiatives, among them fellowships for rising women conductors, free lessons for underprivileged Baltimore schoolchildren, and the creation of popular web-based documentaries and podcasts about classical music.

Tonight, as part of the Friends of Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center Speaker Series, Alsop will discuss her career in the George Sherman Union Metcalf Hall. A new HGARC exhibition featuring Alsop’s archive, titled Marin Alsop: A Life in Music, will also open tonight.

Born in New York City to parents who played with the New York City Ballet Orchestra, Alsop decided to become a conductor at age nine, when she heard Bernstein conduct the New York Philharmonic. From 1993 to 2005, she was the principal conductor, then music director, of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, where she is now conductor laureate. For several of those years she also was principal conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, where she became the first artist to win both Gramophone’s Artist of the Year Award and the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Conductor Award in the same year. Alsop came to Baltimore in 2007, and in 2012, she was appointed principal conductor of the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra in Brazil, which she has led on several major tours throughout Europe and Brazil. She became the orchestra’s music director in 2013.

The internationally acclaimed conductor described to BU Today how she sees her public role, what she learned from the great Bernstein, and how she juggles so much responsibility with such apparent ease.

BU Today: A symphony conductor is not a typical community leader, but you’re committed to the city, especially youth; how do you make a real difference in people’s lives and be a force of change?

Alsop: As the leading ambassador for access and inclusion to great music for everyone, my agenda is nonpolitical and all about sharing and improving quality of life for all of my community members. By advocating for music for children, I am offering access to skills that are applicable across all disciplines: motivation, self-esteem, hand-eye coordination, listening, teamwork, ensemble, mutual respect, and many more. At the same time we are developing future audiences for classical music and keeping the art form vital and relevant.

How do you divide your time and energy between your responsibilities in Baltimore and São Paulo?

I am blessed with almost unlimited energy, thankfully. Many issues in one orchestra are also issues in the other, but each informs my decisions at the other, enhancing my experience and opening my mind to new ways of looking at challenges and opportunities. If your question is literal: I live in Baltimore and travel to São Paulo six times a year for at least two weeks each time. When I am not in São Paulo, I am in constant email contact and working remotely—the same with Baltimore.

You’ve established some wonderful programs allowing amateur musicians to play with the Baltimore  orchestra. What do the professional musicians gain from the experience?  

My musicians are revered and idolized by their nonprofessional peers. The level of appreciation expressed to my musicians by the amateurs is off the charts, and this exchange is more valuable than any other currency. These amateurs are people who are passionate about music, but who could not devote their lives in a professional capacity to being musicians for any number of reasons. Sharing this love for music is extremely empowering.

How do you introduce new works by contemporary composers to your audiences? Is it a challenge to get them to broaden their tastes?

I verbally introduce new pieces, having the orchestra play a few excerpts so that my listeners can have something to hang onto. Listening to music is an extremely sophisticated skill, and the only analogy I can think of would be trying to understand a language that you have little or no experience hearing prior to that one moment. If you know a few phrases, the experience is much deeper than if you are lost.

What was the most important thing you learned from Leonard Bernstein? Who were your other important mentors?

He taught me that it’s all about the story. The narrative is key to every piece, and it is the conductor’s responsibility to bring that story to life convincingly and with every fiber of her being.

My other mentors were my dear parents, both of whom were incredible professional musicians.

Numerous reasons are given why women are so underrepresented in conducting, including long hours, travel, the profession’s physical demands. What do you think the main reasons are, and what is the outlook for more equal representation?

All of the reasons you mention, certainly, but there is also a societal prejudice that needs to be overcome. People simply are not used to seeing women in the ultimate authority roles. Perhaps once we elect a woman as president, things will change a bit.

Which composers are the most gratifying to conduct and why?

This is a very difficult question to answer because all music is gratifying to conduct. I personally love Stravinsky for his rhythmic drive, Mahler for his breadth and architecture, Mozart for his beauty of simplicity and inventiveness, Brahms for his passion and elegance—I could go on to list 50 more whose music I adore conducting.

Marin Alsop will speak tonight, March 25, at 6 p.m. in the George Sherman Union Metcalf Hall, 775 Comm Ave, second floor. The event, part of the Friends of the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center Speaker Series, is free to members of the Friends of HGARC and to BU students and faculty with valid ID. Admission is $25 for the public. RSVP by calling 617-353-3697 for Friends of HGARC, and 617-353-1226 for students and faculty.