Symphony | What’s in a Title?

The word maestro has some baggage. For many, the term conjures an image of old-fashioned luxe, of a well-seasoned gentleman whose musical knowledge leaves little room for questioning and whose leadership style tends to the hierarchical, even authoritarian. To be a maestro, in this image, is to belong to a close-knit club, as exclusive as it is a little out of date.

Small wonder, then, that in a moment when many rising conductors are taking a more collaborative, down-to-earth approach to leading an orchestra, the term maestro has lost some of its allure. And yet this shift in ethos is not the only change afoot in the conducting world; the gendered barriers to leading an orchestra are being broken down. As the field shifts towards gender parity, a certain tension arises: Should eminent female conductors be called maestra, or should that term be left behind, regardless of gender? Is the goal to diversify the clubhouse, or dismantle it altogether?