as RPS Conductors programme enters a brand new section, I chat to founder Alice Farnham & an early participant, Charlotte Corderoy

Alice Farnham with members of the Royal Northern Sinfonia and members of the RPS Girls Conductors programme on the Glasshouse together with Charlotte Corderoy

In 2014, conductor Alice Farnham shaped the Girls Conductors programme, initially at Morley Faculty; she joined forces with the Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) to create RPS Girls Conductors in 2016, then in 2022, in partnership with the Royal Northern Sinfonia (RNS), a brand new high-level course was established in Gateshead at The Glasshouse Worldwide Centre for Music.

Now the programme is taking a brand new step and in June 2025 beneath the brand new title of RPS Conductors welcomed functions from any conductors at a sufficiently excessive degree who can articulate how – by means of their lived expertise, background or private traits – they’ve encountered limitations to progress or restricted entry to an expertise like this, and why it could due to this fact be transformative to their prospects.

This subject of ladies conductors removed from resolved, nevertheless. In January 2025, 86% of conductors represented by UK artist managers had been male, and 87% of titled conducting roles at UK orchestras had been held by males. Addressing this stays a precedence for RPS Conductors, and the alternatives offered stay primarily for ladies, trans and non-binary conductors.

Alice Farnham (Photograph: Catherine Ashmore)

I lately spoke to conductor Alice Farnham, concerning the programme from its early founding to the current day, and I additionally chatted to conductor Charlotte Corderoy who was a part of that first consumption, when the primary course was run in Gateshead with the RNS.

In 2013, Marin Alsop carried out the Final Evening of the Proms, the primary lady to take action. This led to dialogue each inside and outdoors classical music about why there weren’t extra girls conductors, why girls weren’t coming by means of the system, or selecting to not research postgraduate conducting. Alice Farnham was conscious that, regardless of encouragement, her personal progress as a conductor had not been with out difficulties. Loads of girls had been merely not placing themselves within the place within the first place.

This was what is likely to be termed Alice’s ‘lightbulb second’ and for the 2014/2015 season she shaped the Girls Conductors programme (WoCo) at Morley Faculty after which in 2016 WoCo moved beneath the auspices of the RPS, which implies that the subsequent cohort (that of 2026) will have a good time ten years of WoCo on the RPS. Inside 5 years, issues had been shifting and extra girls had been coming by means of as conductors, which had the benefit of encouraging extra girls to contemplate the thought. By programmes within the UK, Australia and elsewhere, Alice has now taught over 500 girls. Not all of those select to grow to be conductors, however many do.

Starting in 2022, the collaboration with RNS created a high-level course geared toward girls in the midst of their coaching. It was not merely geared toward younger girls, but additionally older girls who for varied causes had both not thought of taking on conducting or who had been discouraged. The course inspired them to take up conducting later, although Alice acknowledges that it’s tougher taking on new issues later. However they wished to encourage girls who’re sensible musicians and have a lot to supply. It’s tougher additionally, in an business which appears fascinated by youth and younger conductors. WoCo has had varied girls, at completely different phases of their profession, take up the problem and Alice may be very happy with what they’ve achieved.

Once I spoke to Charlotte Corderory she was in rehearsals for Le Nozze di Figaro at Glyndebourne the place she is aiding Riccardo Minasi on Mariame Clément‘s new staging. Charlotte took half within the programme’s pilot scheme in 2021, simply out of the pandemic however nonetheless in a time of social distancing, and some of the conductors on that pilot scheme had been prolonged into the official first 12 months of the programme.

Charlotte Corderoy

For Charlotte, the programme was a sport changer, she had not carried out any formal coaching and this was her first time in entrance {of professional} musicians. As she factors out, that is one thing younger conductors may not expertise till excessive stress conditions comparable to auditions or masterclasses. The programme not solely enabled her to work with skilled gamers however with mentors comparable to Alice Farnham and get suggestions which was delivered in a productive means. There was additionally the possibility to discover new repertoire and work alongside different conductors who had been at an analogous level of their careers. That’s was an all-female course meant that there have been different girls conductors within the room, there was camaraderie and a way of the shared expertise of being a feminine conductor, so that you had been inspired and a protected house created.

There have been six girls on that pilot scheme, all had been completely different, at completely different phases of their profession. The bulk had been learning or had simply accomplished their research, however Charlotte had not began learning conducting. The programme occurred the Summer season earlier than she went to the Royal Academy of Music (RAM) and it was an excellent heat up. She discovered the expertise unbelievable, figuring out issues she wished or wanted to work on, but additionally recognising the issues she obtained proper, bolstering her confidence and dealing towards imposter syndrome which is rife. She feels that it is very important imagine you’re good at it. Going to the RAM can really feel intimidating, and Charlotte had not been to the Junior Academy and her undergraduate years weren’t on the RAM as she did a music diploma at Oxford which was not specific efficiency focussed.

Her expertise on the RAM was that it was splendidly approach based mostly, and the expertise opened her thoughts to all types of questions together with logistics and it was very individuals going through, working with a pupil orchestra which required an entire different ability set. Charlotte sees WoCo as a marvellous complement to this conservatoire coaching, the cherry on the cake being the extremely excessive customary of orchestral enjoying from the RNS. The gamers within the RNS had been inspired to be very direct in rehearsal, and there have been additionally tailor-made classes carried out afterwards. And as every little thing was carried out reside, it felt much less like being criticised as a result of any criticism might be productive, used as constructing blocks, placing issues into observe the next day! It’s the kind of factor that she feels any conductor could be happy to expertise.

She feels that the programme helps to normalise the enterprise. Charlotte by no means wished the very first thing individuals discover was that she was a girl. So, the programme serves a goal, the extra girls that come by means of the programme, the extra girls can image themselves on this place. She sees it as a course of of constructing the discourse much less about gender being talked about for the unsuitable causes, placing issues within the right perspective.

Alice finds the connection with RNS a really optimistic one and the orchestra is beneficiant in its suggestions to the conductors working with it on the programme. While the orchestral members present suggestions to the conductors, the orchestra will get so much out of it too as they can take into consideration the act of conducting and have constructive conversations with the conductors. When Alice is teaching masterclasses on the programme she goals to be palms off, in order that she just isn’t successfully taking up; one thing that may be very a lot a hazard in conducting masterclasses. Alice feels that the RNS has a lot to supply, giving the ladies on the programme a unbelievable studying alternative and she or he needs that different orchestras had been in the identical place.

Ever since founding WoCo, Alice was typically requested ‘what was the last word objective?’ and she or he has at all times answered, till we don’t want the programme any extra. That is now being mirrored in means the 2026 cohort, WoCo is adjusting its parameters, and being referred to as the RPS Conductors programme.

While the stats are nonetheless not sensible, there are many girls coming by means of and Alice quotes to me figures that reveal fairly how a lot progress has been made. However as she factors out, this kind of profession takes time, and the check shall be to see what is occurring in ten years when the younger girls coming by means of are holding positions. In spite of everything, conducting careers will not be made in a couple of years, however in a long time!

For the 2026 cohort, Alice explains that the programme shall be aimed not simply at girls however anybody whose lived expertise is troublesome, in order that the programme addresses a wider vary of inequalities. They’re additionally open to individuals whose careers have chosen an uncommon path or who’ve monetary difficulties, in spite of everything as Alice factors out selecting to check conducting doesn’t come low-cost.

For additional details about the RPS Conductors Programme, see the web site, together with details about the present software process.

• Charlotte is aiding Riccardo Minasi at Glyndebourne on Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro – 29 June to 21 August 2025, additional particulars
• Charlotte shall be conducting all 4 of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concertos in a single live performance with pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, Boris Giltburg, Ryan Wang and Junyan Chen and the Philharmonia Orchestra at Daring Tendencies in Peckham – 13 September 2025, additional particulars
• Alice shall be conducting Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love with English Touring Opera, on tour from 27 September – 22 November 2025, additional particulars
• Charlotte is conducting some performances of Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann at Lyon Opera – 16 Dec 2025 to five Jan 2026, additional particulars