Women have found their voice in classics, say stars

Women have smashed the glass ceiling in classical music, top stars said at the Classic Brit awards in London.

But violinist Nicola Benedetti admitted Marin Alsop’s selection as the first female conductor to lead Last Night of the Proms in its 119-year history still marked a “symbolic moment”.

Benedetti, 26, who won the best female award for her album The Silver Violin, told the Standard: “I think women have broken the glass ceiling for a long time.

“For example there weren’t that many leading women violinists 100 years ago but if you look at the final of a competition now they are everywhere.

“There’s no doubt it was a really symbolic moment when a woman conducted the Last Night of the Proms and there needs to be many more symbolic moments like that.

“But the more experience and exposure we have, the better we’re going to be at it. I think it’s just a matter of time.” Alsop, 56, took the podium last month just days after male counterpart Vasily Petrenko, 37, provoked outrage by saying orchestras “react better when they have a man in front of them” because they provide less of a distraction.

But Gareth Malone, 37, whose new choir Voices performed at last night’s ceremony in the Royal Albert Hall, said: “I can’t imagine a more feisty, energetic or brilliant cajoler of music than Marin Alsop. I’ve also worked with lots of other brilliant female conductors and certainly in the vocal field women are well represented.”

Soprano Hayley Westenra, 26, said: “I don’t feel that women are struggling in any way within the industry.”