Marin Alsop Launches Second Global Social Media Campaign “#PurpleBaton”
By Afton Markay(Photo credit: Brandon Patoc)
Marin Alsop, in partnership with the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship (TACF), is set to launch its second edition of “#PurpleBaton,” for National Women’s History Month.
The global social media movement aims to advance the careers of women conductors in classical music. “The #PurpleBaton movement signals to the world support of women conductors on the podium, and women in leadership roles across all disciplines,” explains Alsop in a press release. She continues, “Those who take part promise to be active allies in shaping a future rich with possibility. They’ll show up for exceptional women in leadership across classical music, affirming that there is a vital and engaged global audience for communities, organizations, and presenters committed to building a more equitable field.”
According to the 2023-24 Donne Foundation report “Equality & Diversity in Global Repertoire,” there is a concerning gender disparity in the classical music world. A survey of chief conductors or music directors for orchestras showed that only 10.1 percent worldwide were women.
In its inaugural year, over 100 conductors and organizations joined the cause with #PurpleBaton social media posts, including Nefeli Chadouli, Soo Jin Chung, Laura Jackson, Enrique Mazzola, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and Leonard Slatkin, as well as the Curtis Institute of Music, the New York Philharmonic, Peabody Institute, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra.
Alsop, the first woman to be named music director of a major U.S. orchestra, also uses her platform to address the challenges she faced earlier in her career, to create opportunities for all conductors. To further promote and encourage more women in the field, with the support of Tomio Taki, she created the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship in 2002. On International Women’s Day, March 8, Alsop will lead the Webern Symphony Orchestra at the Musikverein in Vienna.
Anyone interested in supporting the campaign may order their own purple baton or use #PurpleBaton on social media.
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