Conducting Oneself: Bodies, Identities, and Power on the Podium

Keynote Lecture by Daniel M. Callahan (Boston College): Conducting Oneself: Bodies, Identities, and Power on the PodiumOrchestras are not only heard but seen. The movements of an orchestra conductor fascinate 21st-century audience members, whether first-timers or long-time subscribers. In the past few years, moviegoers have witnessed Cate Blanchett’s performance as Lydia Tár and Bradley Cooper’s as Leonard Bernstein??with classical music devotees quick to provide their own reviews of these representations. What is it that today’s audiences expect classical music leadership to look like, whether in a movie or in the concert hall? How is this different from what we expect, say, a president to look like? This talk explores how conductors visibly embody their empathy with scores while simultaneously projecting expertise and power—all the while, hopefully, getting an orchestra to sound its best. This balancing act has historically belonged to the maestro, a title that encapsulates the Eurocentric and patriarchal culture of classical music. Focusing on the bodies and identities of conductors that have challenged and reshaped the maestro image from Bernstein to more recent conductors, this lecture considers both the exclusionary politics and increasing desire for diversity in classical music and the pipeline to the podium.Sponsored by the Cogut InstituteIn partnership with the Brown Department of Music, Cogut Institute for the Humanities, Brown Arts Institute, and The Marshall Woods Lectureship Foundation of Fine Arts Fund