List of female classical conductors
The following is a sortable list of female classical conductors. Classical conductors work with orchestras, opera companies, ballet companies and choral groups. Conducting orchestras has been called a glass ceiling by the BBC.
| Name | Image | Country | Orchestras | Born | Died | Notes |
| Elisabeth Kuyper | Netherlands | Berliner Tonküstlerinnen Orchester and other female orchestras in the Hague, London and New York | 1877 | 1953 | ||
| Lina Coen | United States | Cosmopolitan Opera Company; Jewish American Opera Company | 1878 | 1952 | First female in New York to conduct an opera.First female in United States to conduct a grand opera. | |
| United States | Colorado Symphony Orchestra Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo | 1956 | -- | * First female conductor to be named music director/principal conductor of the Colorado SO, the Bournemouth SO, the Baltimore SO, and of OSESP
| - | |
| Sweden | 1841 | 1929 | ||||
| Iran | Fajr Music Festival,Naghmeh Baran Ensemble, Tehran Symphony Orchestra | 1961 | First and Only Iranian female conductor | |||
| Netherlands | Orange County Philharmonic | 1904 | 1995 | - | ||
| Denmark | Gothenburg Symphony, Odense Symphony Orchestra, Aalborg Symphony Orchestra | 1982 | -- | |||
| Israel | Houston Symphony Louisville Orchestra Israel Philharmonic | 1955 | -- | |||
| Canada | 1957 | |||||
| France | London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony, New York Philharmonic | 1887 | 1979 | First woman to conduct the London Philharmonic Orchestra. | ||
| United States | Memphis Symphony Orchestra | Only African-American and Hispanic conductor in the United States as of 2019. | ||||
| Netherlands | New York Philharmonic, Denver Community Symphony | 1902 | 1989 | First woman to conduct the New York Philharmonic. | ||
| United States | Boston University Opera Workshop Opera Company of Boston | 1924 | 2006 | First woman to conduct at the Metropolitan Opera | - | |
| United States | Radio Filharmonisch Orkest | 1981 | First female conductor to be named chief conductor of any Dutch orchestra. | |||
| Dr. Lisette Canton | Canada | the Ottawa Bach Choir | Canadian Choral Conductor. Conductor of the first Canadian Choir to be invited to sing at the Thomaskirche. Juno award nominated in 2020. | |||
| Portugal | Orquestra Metropolitana de Lisboa, Gulbenkian Orchestra, Berkeley Symphony, Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa | 1976 | -- | |||
| Hong Kong | NorrlandsOperan Royal Scottish National Orchestra Antwerp Symphony Orchestra | 1986 | * First female principal guest conductor of the RSNO * First woman conductor and youngest-ever conductor named chief conductor of the Antwerp Symphony | |||
| South Korea | Philharmonia Orchestra | 1982 | ||||
| United States | Chicago Sinfonietta, Memphis Symphony Orchestra | 1973 | -- | |||
| United Kingdom | Royal Albert Hall, Royal Marines | 1903 | 1998 | First female conductor of the H.M.S Royal Marines. | ||
| France | Grand Rapids Symphony, American Symphony Orchestra | 1944 | ||||
| Australia | Glasgow New Music Expedition | 1979 | ||||
| Hungary | Hungarian Opera, since 1983 | 1958 | ||||
| Mexico | Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas Queensland Symphony Orchestra | 1980 | -- | First female conductor at the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. | ||
| Latvia | 1929 | 2011 | ||||
| United Kingdom | ORA Singers | 1958 | -- | |||
| Russia | Junior conductor of the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra Principal conductor of the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra Symphony Orchestra of Russia | 1916 | 2009 | First 20th century female symphony orchestra conductor. | ||
| United Kingdom | English National Opera, Ensemble Modern | 1959 | -- | |||
| France | Accentus | 1962 | -- | |||
| United States | Virginia Symphony Orchestra Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra Ulster Orchestra | 1954 | -- | |||
| Australia | The Australian Ballet | 1960 | -- | The world's only woman music director of a ballet company. | ||
| Austria | L'arpa festante, L'Orfeo | 1957 | -- | |||
| Germany | Nürnberger Symphoniker Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Hofer Symphoniker | 1947 | First female conductor of these and other German Symphony Orchestras between 1975 and 1980. Conductor of the Orchestra of Hochschule für Musik Freiburg in 1965, Founder and conductor of "Orchestra Gelmini" since 1969. "The gathering critical judgement of Hortense von Gelmini, Germany's only woman conductor, is that she has not only the talent but the education, energy, and persistence to make her mark in this difficult and competitive profession" | |||
| United Kingdom | 1921 | 1999 | ||||
| United Kingdom | London Mozart Players, Music of the Baroque, Chicago | 1949 | -- | Third woman to conduct the Metropolitan Opera. | ||
| Brazil | 1847 | 1935 | First female conductor in Brazil. | |||
| United States | Special Jury Prize, 50th Geneva International Conducting Competition | 1967 | Founded FORCULTURE in 2014 | |||
| Lithuania | Salzburger Landestheater City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra | 1986 | First female music director of the CBSO | - | ||
| Venezuela | 1953 | -- | ||||
| France | Le Concert d'Astrée | 1962 | -- | First woman to conduct at Lyric Opera of Chicago. | ||
| Canada | Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra Ludwig Orchestra | 1971 | -- | First female principal guest conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra | ||
| United States | Minnesota Orchestra | 1972 | ||||
| United States | Chicago Symphony Chorus, Chicago Symphony Orchestra | 1921 | 1998 | Founder and director of the Chicago Symphony Chorus. | ||
| United Kingdom | 1907 | 1984 | ||||
| Taiwan / United States | ||||||
| Laura Jackson | United States | Reno Philharmonic Orchestra | ||||
| China | ||||||
| Australia | El Paso Symphony Orchestra, Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Tacoma Symphony Orchestra | 1972 | -- | |||
| France | Choeur de Radio France BBC Singers | 1976 | -- | First female chief conductor of the Choeur de Radio France and of the BBC Singers. | ||
| United Kingdom | Oper Köln, Staatstheater Darmstadt, Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal | 1961 | -- | |||
| United States | Slovenian National Theatre Staatsoper Hannover | 1970 | - | |||
| United States | New York City Master Chorale | 1965 | -- | |||
| Czech Republic | Czech Philharmonic, BBC Symphony Orchestra | 1915 | 1940 | |||
| South Korea | Houston Grand Opera | 1980 | -- | First female conductor to be named principal guest conductor of the Houston Grand Opera | ||
| United States | Hartford Symphony Orchestra | 1977 | First female music director of the Hartford Symphony. | |||
| Cuba/United States | 1943 | -- | ||||
| United States | Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra | 1949 | First African American woman conductor of Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra Symposia and Festival Director of Detroit Symphony’s African American Composer’s Forum and Symposium Created West Coast Women’s Conductor/Composer Symposium and American Women Conductor/Composer Symposium at the University of Oregon | |||
| Ukraine | Graz Opera, Bavarian State Opera | 1978 | First-ever Generalmusikdirektorin of the Graz Opera and Graz Philharmonic Orchestra | |||
| Finland | Ensemble Intercontemporain Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra Los Angeles Philharmonic | 1969 | * First female music director of the EIC * First female chief conductor of the Helsinki Philharmonic * First-ever female conductor in the Metropolitan Opera Live in HD series | |||
| Germany | Theater Erfurt Staatstheater Nürnberg | 1986 | First-ever Generalmusikdirektorin of the Theater Erfurt and of the Staatstheater Nürnberg | |||
| Ariane Matiakh | France | Opera and Staatskapelle Halle | 1980 | First-ever Generalmusikdirektorin of the Opera and Staatskapelle Halle | ||
| Simone Menezes | Brazil, Italy | Camerata Latino Americana | 1977 | -- | Conductor of Unicamp Symphony Orchestra, founder of Camerata Latino Americana and Villa-Lobos Project | |
| New Zealand | Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra | 1986 | First female music director of the Hamilton PO | |||
| Japan | Saint Petersburg Philharmonic, Kyoto Symphony Orchestra | 1970 | -- | |||
| Serbia | 1969 | -- | ||||
| Finland | Nordic Chamber Orchestra | 1982 | First female conductor to be named chief conductor of the Nordic CO | |||
| Vietnam, Australia, Philippines | 1940 | 2013 | ||||
| Great Britain | The Royal Ballet, New York City Ballet | 1964 | * First female music director of The Royal Ballet * First female music director of the New York City Ballet | |||
| United States | New England Orchestra | 1950 | ||||
| United States | El Paso Civic Orchestra | 1927 | 2020 | |||
| Spain | 1972 | First female conductor who took the podium at the Vatican in 2008. | ||||
| Anna Skryleva | Germany | 1975 | Russian/German conductor became a first female General Music Director of and a first and only one Russian female conductor as General Music Director in Europe. | |||
| United States | Apollo's Fire | 1965 | ||||
| Nathalie Stutzmann | France | Orfeo 55, RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra | 1965 | First female to conduct an opera at the head of Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra | ||
| Estonia | Nordic Symphony Orchestra, Sarasota Orchestra | 1972 | Co-founder of the Nordic SO. First female music director of the Sarasota Orchestra. | |||
| Hungary | Budapest Opera 1973-1980, Budapest Operetta 1980-2004, Miskolc National Theatre 1984-2012 | 1948 | 2015 | |||
| United States | Michigan Philharmonic | Winner of the American Prize in Conducting 2013 | ||||
| Canada | Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra | 1967 | First female chief conductor of the Slovenian PO | |||
| United States | Symphony of Southeast Texas Norwalk Symphony Orchestra Allentown Symphony Orchestra | 1964 | The 1st female music director of an orchestra in the State of Texas, and the first female conductor at the Ojai Music Festival, CA | |||
| United States | Symphony Orchestra in Wheeling, Pasadena POPS | 1950 | -- | |||
| United States | Chicago Opera Theater, Refugee Orchestra Project, Juventas New Music Ensemble, Lowell House Opera, Commonwealth Lyric Theater | 1986 | -- | Russian-American opera and symphonic conductor and the Music Director of Chicago Opera Theater As of her appointment at COT, Yankovskaya is the only female music director of a major American opera company. | ||
| Australia | Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra Opera Australia Philharmoniker Hamburg | 1961 | First female conductor of the Vienna State Opera in 1993. Second woman to conduct the Metropolitan Opera. | |||
| China | Sioux City Symphony Orchestra Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi New Jersey Symphony Orchestra BBC National Orchestra of Wales | 1973 | * First female music director of the Sioux City Symphony, of La Verdi, and of the NJSO. * First titled female conductor with any BBC orchestra. * First female conductor ever to conduct the annual Beethoven 9 Prom at The Proms. | |||
| China | China National Opera House, Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra, Ai Yue Nu Philharmonic Orchestra | 1929 | First female conductor in China. |
Links to online resources
- - a database by Kapralova Society