A Celebration of the Distaff Membership of The Vienna Philharmonic

That seems an extraordinarily low percentage.

Classical music is one of many subjects about which I am ignorant, but at some point during the last year I saw something on TV about the change in recent years to blind orchestra auditions. I believe it was said orchestras are now around 50% female--maybe more, whereas they used to be overwhelmingly male. I guess that comment may have been based on the situation in the US, though. Or perhaps the statement was that half of slots are now being filled by women, not that the entire orchestras are (at this point) evenly split.

Generally speaking , it is a low percentage . I spent my working life as a professional musician ( Classical ) in NY City . The advance of Female musicians in the States has been far more rapid than in some other places . The Vienna Philharmonic has historically been behind the times in this issue , so this was , I felt , a nice tribute to the women of the orchestra , and an omen of things to come . There are , by the way , more female members in the orchestra , but it was these twelve who were performing in this program . For further enjoyment , Sophie Dervaux is one of the Principal Chair Bassoons in The Vienna Staatsoper ( and The Philharmonic ) https://youtu.be/apYE2BJFuuk

It needed more than 150 years until accepting women as members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Vienna is the city of slow pace. You might be surprised, but this is not considered to be a real issue.

The 1997 decision was not due to the remarks of the Austrian chancellor, as given in the video, but because of massive public pressure before and during a concert tour through the US.

The point made quite explicitly during the TV program I watched (which I unfortunately cannot identify) was that blind auditions assure that you will hire the best musicians--and why wouldn't a conductor/orchestra want that?

Blind Auditions , are not a new thing . They were already being established in the late sixties , when I was starting my career . It is important to understand that the audition process is only one step in the decision to hire orchestral players . A position is determined by myriad considerations , such as sense of ensemble , suitability to fit in to an orchestra based on its general style , past experience , and a host of other issues . One of my other favorite European orchestras is The HR Orchestra , in Frankfurt . They have a high ratio of female members , and play with incredible precision . Here is a sample , , the they have a large catalog on Youtube . This selection is French . and the setting on The Main is stunning . Enjoy ! - https://youtu.be/y98qMtlEc2k

It is correct that applicants for a position in the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra have to demonstrate their talent in several blind auditions in the beginning, but during the very last round the jurors want to see the applicant playing. It is said that they want to judge whether the musician will fit into the "Viennese image" of the orchestra which they want to preserve at all cost. This attitude is somewhat caviled at, leading to a nearly 100% Caucasian orchestra.