Chinese Virtuoso Conducts Assault on Glass Ceiling

Classical superstar Xian Zhang is young, energetic—and a woman

By Jason Farago, Newser Staff

Posted Jan 8, 2009 11:50 AM CST

(Newser) – In the traditional world of classical music, no area has been less hospitable to women than the conductor’s platform. So it’s remarkable that one of the world’s hottest maestros is not just a woman, but a 35-year-old from China—Xian Zhang, associate conductor at the New York Philharmonic. “Having an unusual background means you view tradition in a totally different way,” Zhang tells the New Statesman.

Zhang’s autodidact father built her a piano from factory parts; at 11 she moved to Beijing for music school, where women were fully integrated into the classical scene. Now Zhang is heavy demand worldwide; she has guest performances scheduled from Chicago to Vienna, and last year she became the first woman to conduct Dresden’s Staatskapelle—the orchestra of Richard Wagner.

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Xian Zhang, associate conductor at the New York Philharmonic, has become one of the classical music world's most visible stars. (New York Philharmonic)

Xian Zhang, 35, recently became the first woman to conduct the Dresden Staatskapelle. (New York Philharmonic)

Xian Zhang, 35, is one of the few women to achieve major success as a conductor of classical music. (New York Philharmonic)

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You can get all the beats. To achieve the highest level, you need discipline, devotion and constant self-criticism. You can achieve it even in a bad economy where you get to conduct only five concerts a year. - Xian Zhang, conductor

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Chinese Virtuoso Conducts Assault on Glass Ceiling