International Women’s Day celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. Observed since the early 1900s, this was originally a day set up so women could universally press for their demands.

Here at the BSO we’re proud of the working relationships we have with a range of conductors, musicians and composers, and we celebrate the fact we have a high proportion of women within our senior management team. As the world has changed and continues to change, the BSO continues to be a progressive force in challenging the status quo, especially when it comes to women in music.         

Let’s look at some of the women of the BSO, from the very beginning of the Orchestra to the present day…

Conductors

One of the defining figures of the BSO in recent years, Marin Alsop became our Principal Conductor (2002-2008), making her the first woman to be Principal Conductor of a British Orchestra. Marin also made history in September 2013 when she was the first woman to conduct The Last Night of the Proms. Today, Marin is one of the most in demand conductors in the world and this year assumes the title of Music Director Laureate and OrchKids Founder of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Marin is also a founder of the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship, an organisation which mentors, supports, and promotes women conductors as they advance in their professional careers.

Marin Alsop (c) Grant Leighton

Making a splash as our Young Conductor in Association in the 18/19 and 19/20 seasons, it was here at the BSO that Marta Gardolińska secured her international reputation. Marta was selected as a Dudamel Fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and has recently been appointed as Music Director of the Opéra national de Lorraine. Recently returning to the BSO to conduct our Defiant Shostakovich programme, we’re thrilled to continue to work with this very talented young conductor.

Marta Gardonlinska (c) Bartek Barczyk

Composers

Shirley J Thompson is a visionary artist and cultural activist whose work has been commissioned for numerous national events, including the powerful 2018 anthem, Psalm to Windrush: to the Brave & Ingenious, to mark the Windrush 70th Anniversary at Westminster Abbey. Recently she has been commissioned by Allianz Musical Insurance to write for BSO Resound and we can’t wait to see the fruits of this artistic collaboration. Read more here.

Shirley J Thompson (c) Gary Thomas

The music of German-based composer Franghiz Ali-Zadeh has been championed by Yo-Yo Ma, Hilary Hahn and the Kronos Quartet. Her works fuse the mugham traditions of her native Azerbaijan with experimental Western techniques.  The Orchestra has commissioned the new work by Ali-Zadeh for performance in 2021/22 under the baton of Kirill Karabits; it will reflect on the events of last year.

Composer Dame Ethel Smyth had a strong and productive relationship with the Orchestra. Born in 1858, as a woman Dame Ethel had to fight both to pursue studying music and to get much of her work performed. Sir Dan Godfrey, the BSO’s founder, was one of Ethel’s key supporters and it was here, in Bournemouth in 1914, that she conducted the overture to her famous opera The Wreckers. At  Bournemouth’s 1927 Easter Festival Sir Dan presented a concert of music composed solely by women (including Ethel’s work), a bold move at a time when many were reluctant to include compositions by women in their concert programmes at all.

Carmen Ho is the BSO’s Assistant Librarian as well as a talented up and coming composer, recently winning 4th prize at the Toru Takemitsu Award 2020.  Carmen was also the recipient of the Royal Philharmonic Society Composition Prize in 2018 and has worked with musicians such as BBC Singers, Bristol Ensemble, Ensemble 360, Ensemble Variances, Kokoro and Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.

Composer Carmen Ho in the BSO Library

The inaugural Young Composer in Association composer for BSO Resound, Lucy Hale excelled at her craft. Despite being physically unable to play an instrument and needing 24-hour care to support her independent living, Lucy secured a number of commissions to write music. Lucy tragically died at the age of 26 in January 2021, but her artistic talent and fierce determination will live on. Read a tribute to Lucy from the Royal Philharmonic Society here.

Lucy Hale, BSO Resound Young Composer-in-Association 2018

And during the 2019/20 season our Artist-in-Residence was the legendary pianist/composer Gabriela Montero who blew the audiences away with her incredible interpretations. Read more here.

Gabriela Montero (c) Shelly Mosman

Presenters

We’re thrilled to have been able to welcome so many incredible presenters to front our BSO at Home livestreamed concerts during the 2020/21 season: broadcast Catherine Bott is well-known to BSO audiences and is a popular Classic FM host; Ayanna Witter-Johnson, a musician and composer who is respected for her performances; and BBC Radio 3 presenters Sarah Walker and Katie Derham, who are well-known for their work on national radio and TV. Katie presents Love Lost and Found  on Wed 10 March.

To find out more about our current livestream series click here.

To learn more about our famed feminist and friend of Sir Dan Godfrey, Dame Ethel Smyth click here