Q & A with Marin Alsop
By Bethany Tillerson (photo credit: © Adrienne White)

This Sunday, we’re celebrating the birthday of famed conductor Marin Alsop! The Classical Station asked her a few questions regarding her career and her love for music.

As an internationally recognized conductor, Alsop was the first woman to lead major orchestras in the US, South America, Britain, and Austria, and she has long stood as an example for women in classical music. Alsop is currently chief conductor of the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, and she has led the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and the London Symphony Orchestra—an impressive but non-exhaustive list that gives only a taste of how much she has accomplished.

Q: Which concert would you consider to be your best?
Alsop: There is no “best” concert. Every concert has special moments and these are what define an inspired experience.

Q: If  you had to choose one composer’s music to conduct, who would it be?
Alsop: Fortunately this is a decision I would never have to make; it’s impossible to select just one composer. It would be like saying “you may eat only one food for the rest of your life—what would that food be?” Mahler? Brahms? Bernstein?

Q: What advice would you give to girls and women who have goals of becoming a conductor?
Alsop: I would give this advice to anyone with dreams: work hard and don’t give up. Always try to better yourself and become your own best teacher.

Happy birthday, Marin Alsop! The Classical Station is amazed at everything you have managed to do within classical music, and you serve as an admirable example of the huge things people can accomplish when they put their minds to it.

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