The Dallas Opera has announced that its Hart Institute for Women Conductors will take place online February 8-19, 2021. Launched in 2015, the program promotes the careers of female conductors and administrators in classical music.
For next year’s institute, seven conducting fellows from six different countries will participate in virtual masterclasses and workshops led by distinguished faculty members, including the Dallas Opera’s music director Emmanuel Villaume and principal guest conductor Nicole Paiement, Lidiya Yankovskaya (a 2015 Hart Institute alumna) and Carlo Montanaro.
In the past, fellows have rehearsed with professional singers and the Dallas Opera Orchestra, leading to a showcase concert. But COVID-19 restrictions have made this impossible, the Dallas Opera said in a statement, so the company will invite fellows back to Dallas for the 2022 residency.
“The goal is to help women conductors advance their careers and find employment in their chosen field,” says Dallas Opera’s general director and CEO Ian Derrer in a statement.
Hart Institute alumnae have gone on to guest conduct at prominent orchestras around the world, such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Opera engagements have included those at the Dallas Opera, Washington National Opera and Chicago Opera Theater.
“Our industry now actively searches out women conductors who have completed the Hart Institute residency,” says Dallas Opera’s director of artistic administration David Lomeli in a statement.
In addition to the conducting fellows, the 2021 Hart Institute has accepted four female American administrators who will take part in online training sessions relevant for their careers in the arts.
