How the Reno Philharmonic Music Director Is Pushing Boundaries for Up-and-Coming Female Conductors

28 July 2022

As women continue to gain traction as trailblazers within industries, women in niche markets like orchestra conductors are just beginning to break the glass ceilings. According to the most recent data available from the League of American Orchestras, only 14.6% of U.S orchestra conductors at all levels were women. Additionally, the organization’s 2022 Orchestra Repertoire Report found that works by women composers and composers of color (living and deceased) rose by four hundred percent.

Laura Jackson, music director for Reno Philharmonic, now in her 14th season, is paving a new direction for up-and-coming female conductors and composers through her artistry, leadership and creative community engagement. She conducted Symphony No. 3: Altered Landscape in May by renowned composer Jimmy López Bellido. An agreement was made that other orchestras who wanted to perform the piece bypass paying royalties. Instead, they are required to donate $1,000 to the Nature Conservancy, presenting a unique opportunity for orchestras to combat climate change. In addition, the piece itself directly engages with themes of climate and pandemic-induced isolation.

“We were making this piece happen in a pandemic,” Jackson explains. “Most orchestras were not willing to sign on to create this new work. The future of the Symphony Orchestra, when the pandemic started, was looking very precarious. So we had to face a critical point, a juncture where it was either don’t do it, let the project go, or figure out a new way to do it. Rather than getting a consortium to help offset the fees, we were able to fund it within our own community. That enabled us to flip the model. Our consortium is taking place now after the world premiere, and we’ve made it easier for orchestras to join because they don’t have to pay anything, just the $1,000... Now, why did we do that? We did that because this symphony is based on a photography collection that is all about humans and the natural environment; it’s about human impact on the earth. We’re really in an age of action. It’s not just about generating awareness and having great conversations about topics. It’s about really taking action that matters.”