trumpetnick

Rowuk,
Why the pregnancy should be a problem for a wind player, and not for a string sections principal? or a percussionist? and what about conductors?

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ecarroll

Robin,

It's sad that some of Europe's most traditional orchestras (Vienna, Munich, Berlin) also have a tradition of gender discrimination. Fortunately this is changing. More interesting than the Sabine Meyer case was that of Abbie Conant, a terrific American trombonist that was appointed as solo trombone in the Munich Philharmonic before Sergiu Celebidache assumed the music directorship there.

Cele refused to have a woman serve as principal in his orchestra and Abbie was re-seated. A decade long battle was fought in the German courts which resulted in Abbie being re-appointed principal and all lost wages (plus interest) restored to her. She re-assumed her chair after all of those terrible years and played half of one rehearsal before standing (interrupting the orchestra) to thank her colleagues for a decade of their support. She then quit and walked off a proud musician.

I went to high school with Abbie and all of us were very, very proud of her for that!

She teaches at the musiikhochschule in Trossingen, by the way, and has a wonderful career playing new music.

...and she can really play the trombone.

Best,
EC

Solar Bell

GREAT STORY ED!

That's how you make a statement!

Thanks for sharing it!

-cw-

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Chuck Willard
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mahaberio

I do find it interesting that we have a relative lack of female trumpet players (in comparison to other instruments) when many of the barriers broken for women in the orchestra were done so in the trumpet section. Look at Marie Speziale and Susan Slaughter. Marie got in the orchestra when women really didn't (and was actually denied the opportunity to audition for St. Louis beforehand) and Ms. Slaughter became one of the first female principals of any section.

Gender discrimination in the orchestra is a trend I'm happy to see dying away.

Manny Laureano

Physiologically, there are many differences between the genders in terms of air capacity and usage. But there are also smaller men and larger women that play trumpet. The bottom line is that it's a question of how smart the person is. If they have a smaller bow to use, well, they'll use more of it but no less musically. It also boils down to temperament and musical priorities. Those are individual traits.

ML

wrbandel

Oh Chuck, you're right, that half a student is something else. Ok, I only have 20 percent female students. (6)
I'll blame the lousy math skills on lack of sleep.

Warren

rowuk

Ed,
I remember the court battle. She had an independent auditor (I think it was Max Sommerhalder) verify that she could really play well enough - endurance, range, the whole shooting match!

She also plays one mean baritone horn. I heard her a couple years ago with a 9 piece brass ensemble - she played the tuba part on the bari. New definition for "feminine"!

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rowuk

Nick, very easy:
finding a sub for string players is less expensive and they are only one of many in the section. Lose your solo trumpet player for a year or two and you have another situation. Many orchestra members are happy to get a sub as conductor.................

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tromj

It's just outmoded patterning. when I was in elementary school, girls were simply expected to play flute and clarinet. So the women who would have been the major influences by now simply were not put intothe trumpet sample group. The Slaughters, Blacks, Frinks, etc. were the exceptions in their youth. Check out who the major influences are a dozen years from now. I believe the balance between genders will have adjusted somewhat.
My last teacher, Mary Hastings, and my teaching partner, Sandra Coffin, are just two examples of people roughly my age who were rare as kids but have achieved a great deal of respect as players. They will be joined by many other great woman players in the years to come.

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Lizzy Jean

there are only 5 female trumpet players at my school including me, out of 30 trumpets. i am first chair of the second band of four bands at my high school, i lead a section of all guys :) i am actuallt the only girl in the back row of the band there are no female trombones, baritones, or tubas. all of our flutes are girls and there are very few male clarinets. i think it is kind of funny how my twin sister plays clarinet because she has always been the more girly one and then there is me the more athletic twin, it's funny what instruments we picked. As for female proffesional trumpeters, i've thought about going to school for performance, maybe my name will be known. (probably won't happen) ;)