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In 1995 Jennifer Higdon became the first woman to teach composition
at Pennsylvania's prestigious Curtis Institute of Music. In
2005 Marin Alsop became the first female Music Director of
a major American ensemble when she took up the reins of the
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
Though Alsop always looked like she'd end up a musician, the
heights to which her career has risen are unprecedented for
a woman. Born to musician parents she began a career as a
violinist - nothing extraordinary in that - but was determined
to become a conductor, relentlessly banging on the door of
the musical establishment, refusing to take 'no' for an answer.
Eventually that door was opened by a conductor of some experience
- Leonard Bernstein.
Jennifer Hidgon's exposure to 'classical' works in youth was
zero. Raised on a diet of The Beatles and Bob Marley she entered
university to major in flute performance 'still unfamiliar
with works like the Beethoven symphonies'. The result? An
approachable sound world: 'I probably hear music the way most
people in the United States do', she says. Complex but clean,
accessible without dumbing down, Higdon's 'meeting of modes',
according to the American Record Guide 'could unlock the future.'
When faced with challenges, these characters proved resourceful
and determined. Conductors need an orchestra, so the young
Alsop founded her own with which to hone her skills - the
Concordia Orchestra. Composers need a publisher, and so Higdon
became her own, and set up the Landon Press.
Talent, determination and focus on the end result are at work
here. There's always a purpose to Higdon's music, 'I'm very
aware that I'm taking the audience's time and consider it
a pretty serious responsibility', she says. Alsop is similarly
aware of her audience. Her interpretations throw insightful
light on a range of orchestral styles, and her verbal contextualisation
of works has won her new fans. But her appeal is in her shaping
of music: 'Conducting is a metaphor for who you are; it's
your essence which directs things', Alsop commented recently
to journalist Michael Church. Her enthusiasm, encouragement
to others and all-embracing attitude shape her every gesture,
and place her amongst the most relevant of 21st century musicians.
Marin Alsop conducts Jennifer Higdon
Saturday 15 December 2007 Higdon: Percussion
Concerto (European première)
Marin Alsop conducts
Wednesday 13 February 2008 Beethoven,
Turnage and Elgar
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