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A CALL TO ACTION: Promoting and Preserving Women in the Field of Choral Conducting

In a 2022 interview on the conduct(her) podcast, Sierra In her 1998 Choral Journal article, “A Missing
Farquhar-Wulff discussed her master’s thesis research Chapter from Choral Methods Books,” Patricia
regarding the current state of gender inequity in the O’Toole addressed the education of girls and women
choral profession, concluding, “I take from [these] data in choral programs and how gender roles affect
that we have not made any progress.” Farquhar-Wulff teachers’ expectations and subsequent interactions with
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also spoke of her dreams to conduct a professional students. Although the article is nearly three decades
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ensemble: “It’s just really discouraging as a woman old, much of the content still resonates in 2025: 1) In
trying to reach that level to see that the glass ceiling is primary school, male students are encouraged to be
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still there.” Women choral conductors continue to be active, while female students are encouraged to be
hired less frequently and receive lower pay than their passive; 2) In middle school, expectations related to
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male colleagues. From her research, Farquhar-Wulff gender impact the singers’ needs and impact time and
concluded: attention in rehearsal; 3) In high school, the male voices
often determine the difficulty of repertoire.
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1) Nearly half of the women participants believed From primary education through professional
that they should be further along in their careers, ensemble experiences, we have a responsibility to
2) A majority of women have experienced reimagine choral structures with a shift toward equity-
gender bias in their career pursuits, and 3) 57% driven rehearsing and teaching. In her article, O’Toole
of study participants cite compensation practices described a teacher who attempted to promote a
as having a negative effect on their careers in gender-fair classroom by calling on boys and girls
the workplace environment. 12 alternately from her attendance roster. After two days,
the boys were outraged, claiming she was unfair. The
teacher explained, “Equity was hard to get used to;

Table 1. Women in Professional Conducting Positions (Instrumental & Choral)

Worldwide* United States, Top 25 Choirs** United Kingdom***

Women Conductors <10% 20% 11.2% (of conductors
represented by an agent)

* https://takialsop.org/about-tacf/the-challenge/
** Sierra Farquhar-Wulff, “Discounting Our Colleagues.”
*** https://royalphilharmonicsociety.org.uk/performers/women-conductors

Table 2. Women in Collegiate Music Faculties

1976 (Renton/Block) 1986 (Renton/Block) 2019 (Cherland)

All ranks 24% 31% 32%
(includes part-time and
adjunct faculty)

34 CHORAL JOURNAL May 2025 Volume 65 Number 8