Jorma Panula has been the most successful spotter and trainer of conductors for the past 30 years. His pupils include Esa-Pekka Salonen and at least 20 others who hold international posts.
Panula, however, is 83 years old and a man of strong, old-world views. Over the weekend, he had an outburst against women conductors on Finnish TV. It translates as follows:
Q: Do you think it is good that women enter the profession and become conductors? JP: No! What the hell, we have men already. It is such a limited profession… They can try, but it is a completely different deal. I can’t comment on media or public opinion. But women… Of course they are trying! Some of them are making faces, sweating and fussing, but it is not getting any better – only worse! They can come [to my masterclasses] and try. It’s not a problem – if they choose the right pieces. If they take more feminine music. Bruckner or Stravinsky will not do, but Debussy is OK. This is a purely biological question.
Panula’s comments have provoked outrage in Finland. Salonen has tweeted (in Finnish): ‘Conducting is about skill, not biology. There is no reason why women cannot do it equally well or better.’ [Though we have not been able to find that tweet, ed.]
[Source link via Thorbjørn Tønder Hansen]
Categories: Classical Music
BONGORAMA.COM 
@classical20 This is outrageous – and the fact that media make so much of things, just amplifies it all. I wish people would just stop writing about this. As a conductor myself, I sometimes feel that doing this sort of thing helps negatively affirm the fact that there is a perceived issue, which should not be an issue. Would we ever discuss make pianists or harpists or flautists or female trumpeters, percussionists etc? There is no reason to do so; nor should there be.
I think it is really good that we write about it. If you check the comments on the original source link there is a good debate. I just just discovered a handful of female conductors that I did not know about (and I will now blog about). Basically, I only knew Marin Alsop, who I have seen several times and who is wonderful. The article about the orchestra in St. Louis is just mind blowing. It almost brought tears to my eyes. http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/in-orchestras-a-sea-change-in-gender-proportions/article_25cd8c54-5ca4-529f-bb98-8c5b08c64434.html