It is an image still woefully rare: a woman conducting a major orchestra. But Marin Alsop, music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, did just that. She was the first woman to conduct a major American orchestra.
“It's such a conservative field,” Alsop told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. “I think the idea of women in the ultimate leadership roles is still a big obstacle and an issue for people today.”
Alsop, who travels the world to conduct – in Britain, Brazil – says music is “inherent to our beings.”
“I think music - besides being able to bring people together and transform young people's lives, it also captures a moment, an emotional moment, for all of us. And I think when people are deprived of music, it's like taking away an emotional experience, denying them an emotional connection to living and to each other.”
CNN’s Juliet Fuisz produced this piece for television.