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Q. How did you get started in music?
A. Unlike many of my friends who fell in love with music through their schools where they were allowed to pick an instrument and play in the orchestra, I was born with a job! My parents are both classical musicians and they could never ever imagine a life for their child that was not filled with music! My first instrument was piano which I started at a very early age and then I started violin when I was 5 or 6 years old. At 7 I began studies at the Juilliard Pre College Division and later, when I was in my early teens, I studied classical guitar for a few years.
Q. How and when did you become interested in conducting, specifically?
A. My father took me to hear Bernstein do a Young People's concert when I was 9 or 10 years old and that was it for me! I absolutely knew that I wanted to become a conductor and never changed my mind! Q: What interested you about the Music Director position with the Baltimore Symphony?
A: The main draw for me was the quality of this orchestra and what I saw as enormous potential - artistically, organizationally and in the community. The optimal working environment is one where change and innovation are genuinely embraced.

In order for me to take something on, I must feel I can make a substantial contribution and that the quality of the organization is such that it will support and partner with me in creating that change.

Q: And you’ve found that with Baltimore?
A: The BSO is the perfect partner. The main issues facing the orchestra when I took on the job - a large debt, declining ticket sales, and the fact that the orchestra hadn't made any recordings in 10 years - have all been addressed in substantive ways even before my first season started. Now we are able to take a longer view and create a realistic 3-5 year plan with a focus on the Baltimore community, and this is truly exciting!

Baltimore is a city on the move. It is the last affordable east coast city and the neighborhoods are undergoing dramatic changes, yet it maintains its small town warmth. I am originally from New York City, so coming to back to the east coast – to Baltimore – feels like returning home.

Q: What does it feel like to be the first woman to head a full time major American orchestra?
A. I am extraordinarily proud to be the "first" but I am also shocked by the fact that in the 21st century there can still be "firsts" for women!

While gender seems an inconsequential and irrelevant attribute to me, I also understand what an incredible opportunity it is to be a “first woman” in any pursuit. I am in a position now to create opportunities for the next generations of women and I take that responsibility very seriously.

Q: Do women bring any different qualities to the podium?
A: This is a very difficult and far too general question for me to answer. The thing that I have noticed, however, is the fact that women in the audience seem to have a different concert-going experience when a woman is leading the orchestra.

Frequently women tell me that they feel empowered and can relate very directly with a woman conducting. And at the BSO's opening gala a female journalist told me that the woman seated next to her, dressed is a formal gown, stood up and high-fived her at the end of the concert.

Now that is cool.

Q. Have you ever experienced prejudice as a woman in a field dominated by men?
A. This question and all questions about discrimination are very difficult to answer because so much of anyone's interpretation of events is based on personal attitude and personal experience.

Becoming a conductor is an extremely competitive ambition to begin with; but I would attribute some of my success to the fact that I never interpreted any rejections as gender based, even if I could have done so! This enabled me to use each rejection as an opportunity to improve myself by working harder, listening to criticism and developing even more perseverance!

I personally feel that acepting the role of powerless victim can become a self-fulfilling prophecy and I am unwilling to even entertain that concept!

Q. Do you feel that there are more opportunities now for female conductors than say, when you started?
A. There are certainly more women going into the field these days. When I teach it's generally 50/50 ratio of men to women and I don't think women hesitate as much to consider a career as a conductor these days. As far as opportunities, I would imagine that there are more now than ever before, but it would be naive not to notice that there are no women music directors of any major orchestras in the world...

Q. You are considered a role model to aspiring (female) musicians. Do you have any comments about that?
A. I consider that to be my honor, privilege and responsibility. If I can inspire women and give them the confidence to pursue their dreams, that would make me very happy! In fact, I started a fellowship for women conductors in 2002 called the Taki Concordia Conducting Fellowship (http://www.takiconcordia.org). Every year one exceptionally talented woman is selected to work with me at my orchestras.

Q. Who are your greatest influences--musically or personally?
A. My parents, first and foremost. They are both professional musicians -- my father was concertmaster of the NYCBallet for 30 years and my mother is a cellist with that orchestra, but that only begins to scratch the surface of their enormous talents. My father also plays sax, flute, clarinet, viola, and whistles on many recordings and television commercials. And in his spare time he restores old house, builds new ones and collects and deals in antiques!

My mother, in addition to being a wonderful cellist, plays piano beautifully and is a skilled potter and weaver. She makes all of my dishes and scarves for everyone I know! She also participates in the restoration activities and ran an antique shop for many many years.

To give you a small example, my father decided to build a concert hall in their back yard in Saratoga Springs, NY so that they could invite 300 friends over every Sunday in the summers and perform classical and jazz concerts for them all!

My next greatest hero was Leonard Bernstein who inspired me to bcome a conductor and later became my mentor and teacher and more than a hero could ever be!

Q. Are you trained in any other musical areas? Do you play an instrument?
A. I am a violinist and still play quite a bit. I graduated from Juilliard with my masters degree in violin performance. I also play some jazz and have a swing band called String Fever.

Q. Besides conducting and traveling, in your spare time, what sorts of pastimes do you enjoy?
A. I love keeping fit -- I run 4-5 miles every day and enjoy weight lifting and hiking and swimming.

I love languages -- German is my current passion and Italian is next!

also love to read, especially composers' biographies.

Q. What advice would you give to young people?
A. My best advice is to pursue that which you are passionate about and pure and simply never give up! If the front door is locked to you, go around the side and sneak in a window!!


Q. Is music in school important for kids?
A. I think that having an outlet to express one's individuality and creativity is critical to a child's development and also critical to the future of our country! America is built upon the principle of individuality and innovative thinking and the arts - be it music or theatre or visual arts - allows young people to explore these qualities! In mathematics a child is either right or wrong, but in music a child is always right! Learning an instrument develops innumerable skills: pysically it develops hand eye coordination; it teaches children that nothing comes over night and that practice is the key to success; it teaches them how to motivate themselves and budget their time and be responsible to themselves to practice! These are lessons that stayed with me for life and helped me become successful!

 

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