Female conductors of major orchestras are increasingly becoming more common, finally! So I want to tell you about one of the major contenders in this arena:
Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla was born on 29 August 1986. She is the music director of the Salzburger Landestheater in Austria, and Music Director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.
Gražinytė-Tyla became music director of the Salzburger Landestheater for the 2015-2016 season, with an initial contract of 2 seasons. She has stated publicly her intention to conclude her music directorship of the Salzburger Landestheater after the 2016-2017 season.
In the USA, Gražinytė-Tyla was a Gustavo Dudamel Fellow of the Los Angeles Philharmonic for the 2012–2013 season. In July 2014, she was named the orchestra’s assistant conductor, on a 2-year contract. In August 2015, the orchestra named her its new associate conductor, effective with the end of the 2015-2016 season, contracted through 2017.
I am looking forward to having her conduct the San Francisco Symphony some day, very soon, so I can attend a live performance. From what I have seen in videos, she seems to be one terrific musician, a confident leader, and a person who is committed to making fine music with the players she leads.
Have a look and you will see what I mean:
