“The Conductor” – Leading all the way [MOVIE REVIEW]
Marin Alsop as a student at the Juilliard School of Music in 1974 in “The Conductor.” Photo courtesy of Cargo Films. Never underestimate the power of “no.” For some it is the end, for others, like Marin Alsop the subject of Bernadette Wegenstein’s wonderful documentary, it was the beginning. All her life, musical star Marin Alsop was told no. From an early age, she was a gifted violinist receiving almost the entirety of her education, from middle school through the graduate program, at the Juilliard School of Music in New York. But it was the day her father took her to one of Leonard Bernstein’s famous Young People’s concerts she announced her calling. Only 9 years old, she declared that when she grew up she wanted to be a conductor just like Bernstein. “No,” said her parents, who were professional musicians. “No,” said her teachers. “Girls can’t do that.” Juilliard, even after her graduation as a violinist, refused to consider her as worthy of an audition to their conducting program. She applied there and at other programs but was continually denied the opportunity. Supporting herself as a violinist, she was creative, ever resourceful, and always defying expectation. Her first…
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