List of female classical conductors

The following is a sortable list of female classical conductors. Classical conductors work with orchestras, opera companies, ballet companies and choral groups.[1][2] Conducting orchestras has been called a glass ceiling by the BBC.[3]

NameImageCountryOrchestrasBornDiedNotes
Marin Alsop United States Colorado Symphony Orchestra
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo		 1956 First female conductor to be named music director/principal conductor of the Colorado SO, the Bournemouth SO, the Baltimore SO, and of OSESP. First female conductor of the Last Night of the Proms in 2013[4]
Elfrida Andrée Sweden 1841 1929 [5]
Jessica Bejarano United States San Francisco Philharmonic

Peninsula Symphony

 Founder and Music Director of the San Francisco Philharmonic.[6]
Frieda Belinfante Netherlands Orange County Philharmonic 1904 1995 [7]
Maria Badstue Denmark Gothenburg Symphony, Odense Symphony Orchestra, Aalborg Symphony Orchestra 1982 [8]
Gisele Ben-Dor Israel Houston Symphony
Louisville Orchestra
Israel Philharmonic		 1955 [9]
Linda Bouchard Canada 1957 [10]
Nadia Boulanger France London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony, New York Philharmonic 1887 1979 First woman to conduct the London Philharmonic Orchestra.[11]
Kalena Bovell United States Memphis Symphony Orchestra Only African-American and Hispanic conductor in the United States as of 2019.[12]
Antonia Louisa Brico Netherlands New York Philharmonic, Denver Community Symphony 1902 1989 First woman to conduct the New York Philharmonic.[13]
Sarah Caldwell United States Boston University Opera Workshop
Opera Company of Boston		 1924 2006 First woman to conduct at the Metropolitan Opera (1976)
Karina Canellakis United States Radio Filharmonisch Orkest 1981 First female conductor to be named chief conductor of any Dutch orchestra.
Lisette Canton Canada the Ottawa Bach Choir Canadian Choral Conductor. Conductor of the first Canadian Choir to be invited to sing at the Thomaskirche. Juno award nominated in 2020. [14]
Joana Carneiro Portugal Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa, Gulbenkian Orchestra, Berkeley Symphony, Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa 1976
Elim Chan Hong Kong NorrlandsOperan
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Antwerp Symphony Orchestra		 1986 First female principal guest conductor of the RSNO
* First woman conductor and youngest-ever conductor named chief conductor of the Antwerp Symphony
Han-na Chang South Korea Philharmonia Orchestra 1982 [15]
Mei-Ann Chen United States Chicago Sinfonietta, Memphis Symphony Orchestra 1973 [16]
Debra Cheverino Italy Maggio Musicale Fiorentino 1976 First female conductor and the second conductor to receive a Fulbright congressional grant.[17]
Lina Coen United States Cosmopolitan Opera Company; Jewish American Opera Company 1878 1952 First female in New York to conduct an opera.[18]First female in United States to conduct a grand opera.[19]
Avril Coleridge-Taylor United Kingdom Royal Albert Hall, Royal Marines 1903 1998 First female conductor of the H.M.S Royal Marines.[20]
Catherine Comet France Grand Rapids Symphony, American Symphony Orchestra 1944
Jessica Cottis Australia Glasgow New Music Expedition 1979
Valéria Csányi Hungary Hungarian Opera, since 1983 1958
Alondra de la Parra Mexico Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas
Queensland Symphony Orchestra		 1980 First female conductor at the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.[21]
Ausma Derkēvica Latvia 1929 2011 [22]
Suzi Digby United Kingdom ORA Singers 1958 [23]
Veronika Dudarova Russia Junior conductor of the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra
Principal conductor of the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra
Symphony Orchestra of Russia		 1916 2009 First 20th century female symphony orchestra conductor
Sian Edwards United Kingdom English National Opera, Ensemble Modern 1959 [24]
Laurence Equilbey France Accentus 1962 [25]
JoAnn Falletta United States Virginia Symphony Orchestra
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
Ulster Orchestra		 1954 [26]
Nicolette Fraillon Australia The Australian Ballet 1960 The world's only woman music director of a ballet company.[27]
Michi Gaigg Austria L'arpa festante, L'Orfeo 1957 [28]
Hortense von Gelmini Germany Nürnberger Symphoniker
Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg
Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Hofer Symphoniker		 1947 First female conductor of these and other German Symphony Orchestras between 1975 and 1980. Conductor of the Orchestra of Hochschule für Musik Freiburg in 1965, Founder and conductor of Orchestra Gelmini since 1969. "The gathering critical judgement of Hortense von Gelmini, Germany's only woman conductor, is that she has not only the talent but the education, energy, and persistence to make her mark in this difficult and competitive profession."[29]
Ruth Gipps United Kingdom 1921 1999 [30]
Jane Glover United Kingdom London Mozart Players, Music of the Baroque, Chicago 1949 Third woman to conduct the Metropolitan Opera.[31]
Chiquinha Gonzaga Brazil 1847 1935 First female conductor in Brazil.[32]
Karen Gorden United States Special Jury Prize, 50th Geneva International Conducting Competition 1967 Founded FORCULTURE in 2014[33]
Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla Lithuania Salzburger Landestheater
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra		 1986 First female music director of the CBSO
[34]
María Guinand Venezuela 1953 [35]
Emmanuelle Haïm France Le Concert d'Astrée 1962 First woman to conduct at Lyric Opera of Chicago

[36]

Barbara Hannigan Canada Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
Ludwig Orchestra		 1971 First female principal guest conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
Sarah Hicks United States Minnesota Orchestra 1972 [37]
Margaret Hillis United States Chicago Symphony Chorus, Chicago Symphony Orchestra 1921 1998 Founder and director of the Chicago Symphony Chorus.

[38]

Imogen Holst United Kingdom 1907 1984 [39]
Apo Hsu Taiwan / United States [40]
Laura Jackson United States Reno Philharmonic Orchestra [41]
Huan Jing China [42]
Sarah Ioannides Australia El Paso Symphony Orchestra, Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Tacoma Symphony Orchestra 1972 [43]
Sofi Jeannin France Choeur de Radio France
BBC Singers		 1976 First female chief conductor of the Choeur de Radio France and of the BBC Singers.
Julia Jones United Kingdom Oper Köln, Staatstheater Darmstadt, Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal 1961 [44]
Karen Kamensek United States Slovenian National Theatre
Staatsoper Hannover		 1970 [45]
Thea Kano United States New York City Master Chorale 1965 [46]
Vítězslava Kaprálová Czech Republic Czech Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra 1915 1940 [47]
Eun Sun Kim South Korea Houston Grand Opera 1980 First female conductor to be named principal guest conductor of the Houston Grand Opera (effective 2019)
Carolyn Kuan United States Hartford Symphony Orchestra 1977 First female music director of the Hartford Symphony
Elisabeth Kuyper Netherlands Berliner Tonküstlerinnen Orchester and other female orchestras in the Hague, London and New York 1877 1953
Tania León Cuba/United States 1943 [48]
Marsha Mabrey United States Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra 1949 First African American woman conductor of Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra
Symposia and Festival Director of Detroit Symphony’s African American Composer’s Forum and Symposium
Created West Coast Women’s Conductor/Composer Symposium and American Women Conductor/Composer Symposium at the University of Oregon
Oksana Lyniv Ukraine Graz Opera, Bavarian State Opera 1978 First-ever Generalmusikdirektorin (female General Music Director) of the Graz Opera and Graz Philharmonic Orchestra
Susanna Mälkki Finland Ensemble Intercontemporain
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
Los Angeles Philharmonic		 1969 First female music director of the EIC
* First female chief conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic
* First-ever female conductor in the Metropolitan Opera Live in HD series
Joana Mallwitz Germany Theater Erfurt
Staatstheater Nürnberg		 1986 First-ever Generalmusikdirektorin (female General Music Director) of the Theater Erfurt and of the Staatstheater Nürnberg
Ariane Matiakh France Opera and Staatskapelle Halle 1980 First-ever Generalmusikdirektorin (female General Music Director) of the Opera and Staatskapelle Halle
Simone Menezes Brazil, Italy Camerata Latino Americana 1977 Conductor of Unicamp Symphony Orchestra (Sao Paulo), founder of Camerata Latino Americana and Villa-Lobos Project[49] [50] [51]
Gemma New New Zealand Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra 1986 First female music director of the Hamilton PO
Tomomi Nishimoto Japan Saint Petersburg Philharmonic, Kyoto Symphony Orchestra 1970 [52]
Jasmina Novokmet Serbia 1969 [53]
Eva Ollikainen Finland Nordic Chamber Orchestra 1982 First female conductor to be named chief conductor of the Nordic CO
Helen Quach Vietnam, Australia, Philippines 1940 2013 [54]
Andrea Quinn Great Britain The Royal Ballet, New York City Ballet 1964 First female music director of The Royal Ballet and the New York City Ballet
Kay George Roberts United States New England Orchestra 1950 [55]
Lucy Scarbrough United States El Paso Civic Orchestra 1927 2020 [56]
Inma Shara Spain 1972 First female conductor who took the podium at the Vatican in 2008.[57]
Anna Skryleva Germany Theater Magdeburg 1975 Russian/German conductor became a first female General Music Director (GMD) of Theater Magdeburg and a first and only one Russian female conductor as General Music Director in Europe.[58][59][60]
Jeanette Sorrell United States Apollo's Fire 1965
Nathalie Stutzmann France Orfeo 55, RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra 1965 First female to conduct an opera at the head of Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra
Anu Tali Estonia Nordic Symphony Orchestra, Sarasota Orchestra 1972 Co-founder of the Nordic SO. First female music director of the Sarasota Orchestra.
Katalin Váradi Hungary Budapest Opera 1973–1980, Budapest Operetta 1980–2004, Miskolc National Theatre 1984–2012 1948 2015
Nan Washburn United States Michigan Philharmonic Winner of the American Prize in Conducting 2013[61]
Keri-Lynn Wilson Canada Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra 1967 First female chief conductor of the Slovenian PO
Diane Wittry United States Symphony of Southeast Texas

Norwalk Symphony Orchestra Allentown Symphony Orchestra

 1964 The 1st[62] female music director of an orchestra in the State of Texas, and the first female conductor at the Ojai Music Festival, California
Rachael Worby United States Symphony Orchestra in Wheeling, Pasadena POPS 1950 [63]
Lidiya Yankovskaya United States Chicago Opera Theater, Refugee Orchestra Project, Juventas New Music Ensemble, Lowell House Opera, Commonwealth Lyric Theater 1986 Russian-American opera and symphonic conductor and the Music Director of Chicago Opera Theater

As of her appointment at COT, Yankovskaya is the only female music director of a major American opera company.[64][65]

Simone Young Australia Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Opera Australia
Philharmoniker Hamburg		 1961 First female conductor of the Vienna State Opera in 1993.[66] Second woman to conduct the Metropolitan Opera
Xian Zhang China Sioux City Symphony Orchestra
Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
BBC National Orchestra of Wales		 1973 * First female music director of the Sioux City Symphony, of La Verdi, and of the NJSO.
* First titled female conductor with any BBC orchestra.
* First female conductor ever to conduct the annual Beethoven 9 Prom at The Proms.
Xiaoying Zheng China China National Opera House, Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra, Ai Yue Nu Philharmonic Orchestra 1929 First female conductor in China.[67]

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