The Top 75 Conductors #2: Marin Alsop

With essential Alsop recordings

The Top 75 Conductors Series

#2: Marin Alsop

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Welcome back! The second name on our roster of the Top 75 Conductors is Marin Alsop, a conductor with a rich and wide-ranging career who has probably been the most important female conductor to date and has firmly established herself on the international music scene and through her many recordings.

Marin Alsop

When I posted my original list of the top 50 conductors which included Marin Alsop, I received a few messages from readers questioning the choice. But Alsop’s impact on the classical music landscape has reached far beyond her recordings and includes the immense influence she has had in shattering the glass ceiling that has existed historically in the world of classical music conductors, as well as inspiring other women to become conductors. There is still work to be done to be sure, and a great deal of sexism certainly still exists in the industry, but today we are beginning to see many more women in leadership positions on the podium, in orchestras, and in management of music organizations. Whatever your opinion may be about Alsop’s actual conducting, without a doubt she has been instrumental in opening doors to greater opportunity for many others.