Conducting Guru Claims Women Shouldn't Be Conductors

Another outcry has arisen from comments about women being unsuited to be conductors. The remarks came from the Finnish conductor Jorma Panula, a veteran pedagogue whose students have included Esa-Pekka Salonen, Osmo Vänskä, Susanna Mälkki, Mikko Franck and Sakari Oramo.

Panula was asked in a Finnish television interview on March 30 whether he appreciated the fact that more women are entering the profession. “I do not!” he responded. “What the hell, it is such a limited profession. There are more than enough men. They can try, but it is completely different. Some of them are making faces, sweating and fussing, but it is not getting any better – only worse!” More