?The InternationalWomen's Brass Conference540 S o u t h G e y e r R o a dSa in t L o u i s , M i s s o u r i 63122 N e w s l e t t e r

P r e m i e r I s s u eVol. 1, N o . 1June, 1992

W e l c o m e N e w Members . . .sane to the first bi-annual newsletter o f the International Women's Brass Conference. Inside this issue you wi l lf ind a schedule o f our upcoming Conference, to be held in St. Louis, Missouri f rom Friday, May 28 toTuesday, June 1, 1993. :

You w i l l also see an interview b y Gene Pokorny w i th Susan Slaughter, as wel l as a synopsis of theMunich Philharmonic's activities i n breaking Germany's Equal Treatment Law. Also featured is an articleon Abbie Conant, "The Trials o f a Trombonist , by Anne Midgett.

Tam honored to be an organizing member of such an historic event. M y dream for this newsletter ispr imar i ly to provide a fo rum for women and men brass players around the wor ld to communicate. I wou ldlike the newsletter to serve as a vehicle for women brass players to come together and establish a sense ofcommunity, camaraderie and support. The International Women's Brass Conference newsletter is intendedto be for and by you, the membership. Therefore at this time or anytime in the future, I ask you to submitideas, articles, suggestions, information, announcements or comments to me: Rebecca Bower, NewsletterEditor, W B C , 540 South Geyer, St. Louis, M O 63122. Thank you, and I look forward to your input.

Slaughter for. ike to congratulate Susan 's BrassIwould e e f i rs t?InternationalWome becomece rence Over the last i w ares facing women01 . tacle: 5 ;

increasingly aware of the?brought home in a dramatici d

bra ts g a recent tr ip to Munich where a swee rersaions with Abbie Cone tans e e v e t s with muchinformat ioni n he e ta care a. L wish thisorganizat ion he y y

Wide aemptshing its goals in strivinginamong all players." Leonard Slatkin, May, 1992

C o n t r i b u t o r sce; BS MUU

Lee Eliot Berk, BerkleeCollege of Music

Rebecca Bower?Velvet BrownBarbara ButlerJan DugaJo Ann FaltettaLangston Fitzgerald, I ILaurie FrinkRoger OysterLeonard Statkin

EY

Dr. Joyce DavisJoan C, FannKaren Kosmer] GriffinBrenda HarringtonHelen R. Trobian?Warburton MouthpiecesConnie Weldon

Dr. Patricia BackhausCynthia BrownBruce BuelowDarlene A. ChesebroKaren EddySusan FleetMargaret GageAndra S-J Garbutt, Ph.D., R.D.Betty Glover_

Nancy GoodeartDawn HageBarbara HutchinsMarilyn KlossSally Nelson KuhnsAnita LarsonDr. Joan Haaland PaddockJeanne E. PaellaCarole J. PaulLisa Von PechmannMarylou Perhacs.Deborah Koch PlylarGene PokornyDonna Jean ResueSusan RiderDr. Carla J. RutschmanDr. Betty ScottAlice H. SenterFaye-Ellen SilvermanKaren Lee SlonekerMaric SpezialeMartha M. TaylorMarilyn J. Winfield-Slater

CSET CassPatricia ChiodoJo Anne EdwardsMarilya S. EissAngela HunterLynn MostollezJennifer Paradis-HagarJennifer D. RiggertNancy SchwartzKatherine Thomson

I n t e r v i e w w i t h Susan SlaughterSusan Seo by Gene Pokorny

[ first met with Susan in 1983 when I joined the St.Louis Symphony as the tuba player, Susan and Ibecame good pals in our roles as the ?bookends? ofthe brass section. In our quest for achieving musical aswell as personal harmony within the section we oftentalked, a n dI had the pleasure of watching someonework who was not only a fine, dynamic and expres-sive first trumpet, but also filled the unique role ofbeing ?PRINCIPAL? trumpet. She helmed the sectionwith supportive words when she wasn?t playing andgreat, inspiring results when she wes. [have seen toomany situations where ?principal? positions evoked nomore sense of duty than just playing the part.Fortunately for me Susan had ail the capabilities of theposition that the job descriptions should detail. Theonly reason for me speakingo f her in the past tense isthat I am no longer in St. Louis to hear her. I shallcherish the time we had working together.

Some time ago she asked me tobe involved in the InternationalWomen?s Brass Conference. TheBoard of Directors met in Februaryvia conference call. I feel honoredto be asked into the ranksofthesefine people and hope that thisorganization canbe as enriching forwomen and men brass players asSusan Slaughterhas been inenriching my musical and personallife.

O r i g i no f ConferenceGP: What made you decide to

s ta r t t h e W B C ?SS: In June 1989 I was teaching at

the Grand Teton Orchestraseminar. There were several women brass playersattending the seminar who kept coming up to meand saying, ?This is the first time I?ve worked with awoman and it?s very interesting to see how youapproach playing and relationship problems.? Otherquestions they asked concerned other women brassplayers in the major symphonies, a n dI couldn?t tellthem anything about those players because [hadnever met or talked with them. The students alsorelated to me how they feel isolated as the onlywoman brass studentorplayer in orchestras. Eventhough each brass instrument has its own confer-ence, these organizationsno longer have aninternational brass conference. Isaw no futureopportunities to get to know one another. Finally,the results from a survey I sent out were sooverwhelmingly in favor of a conference, I felt I had?been given a mandate to organize the IWEC.

GP: W h a t are y o u r goals f o r the f i r s t Conference?SS: Our first goal is to actually have this Conference...

to get together and celebrate...to be very positiveandfocus on the gains that havebeenmade, to

exchange information and to get to know oneanother. I?ve never had the opportunity to hear thesecolleagues perform by themselves, and this is the

perfect venue. Mark these dates in your calendar r igh tnow - May 28-June 1, 1993.

GP: Tell us a littke about how i t will be structuredand who wil l be there.

SS: The Conferencehas been structured based upon theresults of the survey. In the ?write i n section fordesired artists or manufacturers, several werementioned. Those persons have been contacted toattend,

Aj a z z concert w i l l open the Conference on May28th, 1993. The jazz and freelance areas seem to bethe slowest in accepting women brass musicians.Ellen Seeling, Melba Liston, Audrey Morrison andothers wi l l k i c k o f f the Conference, Af te rt h e jazzconcert, there w i l l be 4 jam session i n which anyonemay participate.

The following days, May 29-31, will start at 9 AMand go to midnight, One of the panel discussions willaddress ?working with and for the opposite sex.?

?Other panel discussions w i l ] addressvarious health issues, family andcareer questions and performanceproblems. The evening concerts willinclude performancesby BarbaraButler, Carol Dawn Reinhart,Heather Buchman, Jan Duga, AvaOrdman, Laurel Ohlson and many,many more . . . ...-

For the competitionprizes wehopeto offer the following: auditions forscholarships to study with individualartists; scholarships to attend musicfestivals such as the Grand Tetons orKeystone; and opport in i t ies forsoloists to appear w i th an orchestra orband. At this stage we are working

hhard to raise the money.GP: What do you envision for women brass players

in the next eight to ten years as we move into the21st century? What do you envision for the IWBCin the same perlod of time?

SS: Women now play principal hom, trombone,trumpeti n major symphonies. In the years ahead,

more women will bei n principal positions as thewomen currently in those jobs prove that women canhandle the workload - which we knew all along.

As far as the IWBC goes, our ten-year long-rangeplan includes several goals: the first Conference in1993, and another Conference three to five yearslater depending on the needs of the membership.Between Conferences, we hope to produce recordingsby prominent women brass soloist and ensembles,organize tours to Europe or Japan, perform aconcertin Camegie Hall, etc. The newsletter will bepublished twice a year to get more people involvedand to exchange information.

Fundraising is the mostchallenging part, includingthe membership?s willingness to support these ideas.Since there is no prior comprehensive history ofwomen brassplayers, it is vital to document theprogress of women brass performers in a very specific

Seg

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and factual manner. Recordings are a veryeffective means o f documentation, so wehave to f ind someone to sponsor a recording,The January 1991 Directory o f Women BrassPerformers/Teachers is another way o fdocumenting our accomplishments. TheDirectory wil l be updated for the 1993Conference.

?

GP: Why did you choose to play thetrumpet?

SS: Through my church and television, I hadheard people playing various instrumentsincluding the trumpet. I really liked the wayit sounded.

GP: Give us some o f y o u r background,SS: } was ten years old when my school started

the band program. Since they started fromscratch, they were very happy to have me. AsI progressed in the school system, the attitudeseemed to be the same?that I was talentedand they encouraged me to develop thattalent. The only discrimination 1 experiencedthen was that women were not allowed in thehigh school stage band, But one time, theplayers who played lead had other jobs, and Iwas asked to play....once.

GP: W h a t is y o u r educat ional back-g round? teache rs , influences, experi-ences, att i tudes?

SS: I feel t h a tI have been very fortunate

~~cndivonshany catcecateataALJodian -University, my teachers took a real interest inme and made sure that I was not lost. Therewere hundreds of trumpet players at IU atvarious levels of study. Needless to say, 1

worked very hard. At Brevard, there was awoman named Ruth Still who was the thirdtrumpet in the faculty orchestra. That was myfirst encounter with a professional womanbrass player. She was not invited to auditions(these were the early 60's) which made ittough for her to succeed. This was where Ifirst became aware of the problems in mychosen field.

GP. i t is an inspiration 19 many women thatyou hold such a prestigious job, How didyou get there? What was your auditionlike? What were the reactions then andsince?

SS: When I auditioned for the St. LouisSymphony, i t was fo r fourth trumpet. J u s t a .few years ago, one o f m y string playercolleagues said that when he saw me enterthe stage fo r the audition, he thought, ?Oh,it?s a woman.? H e then went to the back ofthe hall to leave, but after hearing a couple o fnotes, was impressed and decided to stay anddisten,

As far as auditions go, that one went verywell. In the fall of 1972, the principal tcumpetresigned three weeks before the season. Ibegan the season as Acting Principal to aWeber overture, Strauss?s Steite from LeBourgeois Gentilhomne, and the Bartok

Concerto for Orchestra. The second week(with no Assistant) included Mozart'sSymphony #3, Brahms? Symphony #3,Rachmaninoff? Rhapsody on a Theme ofPagannini and Scriabin's Poemo f Ecstasy.1972 was some year.

At the auditions for the principal position,they didn?t know i f a gentleman from theIsrael Philharmonic or [ would be a betterprincipal. So, they made us acting co-principals and we altemated halves of theprogram throughout the year. This was themethod to determine who would be principal.At the end of December, they offered me theposition. My audition lasted four months.

People?s reactions to the decision wasinteresting. One colleague told me that he?was not used to taking orders from a woman,but that he would make the adjustments. Itwas definitely a change for the conductors.

OBSTACLESGP: W h a t has been y o u r personal experi-

ence deal ing w i th obstacles of sexism,prejudice and unenl ightened attitudes?

SS: M y first experience was in the spring of1967. L sent out 30 letters of inquiries aboutjobs throughout the country. Ireceived threeinvitations to audition for the ToledoSymphony, Milwaukee Symphony, and theNorth Carolina Symphony. While inMilwaukee I heard about an opening in theHouston Symphony. When I called Houstonabout the opening, they responded by sayingthey didn?t think I would be willing to travelthat far, When I assuredthem I would travelto Houston, they promised to send me theaudition list. I'm still waiting......

eventually started to sign all my letters ofinquiry with ?S.J. Slaughter.? The result wasthat I received invitations to more auditions.As soon as I started signing my name?Susan,? the invitations stopped.

Recently I found out about anotherincident. I auditioned several years ago forone of the top five orchestras. When I came.?out on stage for the finals, the conductorasked what was a woman doing thereplaying a brass instrument. He stated that hedid not want a woman principal. I could saythe conductor?s name, but it really doesn?tmatter now. It will not change the outcome.?My sex eliminated me, not my performance.

GP: Have you found women as well as mento be prejudiced and in what ways?

SS: I definitely believe that people do tend tolook at women brass musicians as an oddity.Society has programmed us all to believecertain ideas about womenplaying certaininstruments.

GP: Do you think the physical differencesbetween men and women create problemsfor women brass players?

SS: No, not at all. For example, Amold Jacobsonly has 3 1/2 liters of air?actually smallerthan most women brass players? lung

capacity. The important physical differenceexists only in the mind, We are taught tothink that a woman doesn?t have enough airto sustain a phrase, or enough volume, etc.

There are men and women who can handlethe job, so both should be considered on anequal basis.

GP: Is m a k i n g music o n a brass ins t rumen tfo r a women analogous to par t i c ipa t ing insports l i ke footba l l and baseball?

SS: Performing on a brass instrument is verymuch like participating in a very vigoroussport. You exert a great deal of energy. It is avery physically demanding art and the artistmust be in good physical shape. Breathingand endurance exercises are very important.There are many links between sports andmusic, mentally and physically. Preparationin both these areas is the key to success.

GP: Has the response to the [ W B C beenuniformly positive among women brassplayers?

SS: Overall, yes. Some o f the women who haveorchestra! or teaching jobs seemed to becautious at first and did not want to ?rock theboat.? Perhaps they thought the other brassconferences would be threatened by this idea.However, all of the other conferences werecontacted before I organized the IWBC. Allhave responded very positively to the plans.

Perhaps some women seem hesitant to getinvolved because they mistakenly assumethat this is a ?hate men? organization. Thatcouldn?t be farther from the truth. There arewomen and men from all walks of life on theboard,

The mission of the IWBC is to provideopportunities that will educate, develop,support, employ and inspire women brassmusicians who desire to pursue professionalcareers in music. This wilt be a ?fun?Conference. I want to encourage everyone toattend,

T h a n k yOu.

M U N I C H P H I L H A R M O N I C BREAKS THE

E Q U A L TREATMENT LAWSTHE TRL O REGAIN HER P O S I T I O N

June 19,1980: Abbie Conant won an audi t ion for solo trombone of the Mun ich Phi lharmonic. Herinv i ta t ion was addressed to a Herr Abb ie Conant. The f i rst round was behind a screen and theydidn?t k n o w she was a woman. She was selected over 32 male candidates. Never again has a screenbeen used for a Phi lharmonic audit ion.

September, 1982: Celibidache demoted Conant to second trombone. N o unusual crit icisms of her hadbeen made in any rehearsals, nor had she received a legal ly required wr i t ten warning.

November 11, 1982: Conant, hop ing to w o r k out a compromise, asked Celibidache w h y she wasbeing demoted. He said: ?You k n o w the problem, we need a man for the solo trombone.?

M a r c h 29, 1984: Af te r three hearings spanning a three-year period, Conant w o n a court case to regainher posi t ion because they couldn ' t establish a viable crit icism. The ci ty appealed. Conant had tocont inue playing second unt i l the appeal was over.

September, 1988: Eight years after jo in ing the orchestra Conant w o n the appeal and regained herposit ion. She played for a court appointed specialist (Prof. Heinz Fadle of the Detmo ld Hochschuleand former President o f the Internationale Posaunenvereinigung). A l l was tape recorded and witnessedby ac i t y representative. A f t e r extremely rigorous testing he declared that she was fu l l y qual i f ied top lay solo trombone in the Mun ich Philharmonic. , .

THE T R I A L S FOR E Q U A L PAY

July 7,1990: In response to her complaints of continued discr iminat ion, the Equal Rights Office saidthey w o u l d need ?supernatural powers to change an old self-contented patr iarch as Celibidache? andrecommended she ?wait un t i l a newer woman- f r iend ly conductor takes over the rudder.?

August 14, 1989: The written judgement from 1988 arrived and Conant was put in a lower pay groupthan all 15 of her male solo wind colleagues. They made up to 1100 DM per month more than she did.

November 5, 1990: Conant met w i t h the ci ty personnel office and the administ rat ion o f the M u n i c hPhi lharmonic to request equal pay w i t h all 15 o f her male colleagues. Both offices refused.

M a r c h 14, 1991; Munich's Lord Mayor Kronawit ter , i n fo rmed b y letter of the discr iminat ion, wro teand refused to intervene to pu t her i n the same pay group as her 15 male colleagues.

June 7, 1991: Conant w o na suit against the ci ty of Mun ich and the M u n i c h Phi lharmonic. She wasgranted the same pay group as her male colleagues because the c i t y /orchestra broke the Equal Treat-ment Law. The un ion lawyer d id not wr i te the necessary brief for her to get the same senior i ty levelw i t h i n that group as al l o f her colleagues w i t h the same seniority. She has appealed that part of thedecision.

October 30, 1991: The city appealed to not only oppose the seniority question, but also to try andkeep her in the lower pay group than all her male colleagues.

I W B C 1993 C o n f e r e n c e S c h e d u l e - St. L o u i s , M i s s o u r iat W a s h i n g t o n U n i v e r s i t y

co-sponsored by the Music Department of Washington University

TIME [Concert Hall Room A Room B [Room C_ [Room D | Room EM a y 28, 1993 , F r i d a y

Day of auditions for: Scholarships to Study with Artists, Scholarships to Music Festivals, Tetons, Keystone, Solo Opportunities withQOrchestra/Band

Featured Performers: Etlen Seeling, Melba Liston, Stacey Rowles, Audrey Morrison8:00 | Opening Evening Concert10:00 PM Jam Session - open participation

M a y 29, 1 9 9 3 , Sa tu rday9:00 am Words of Welcome

Large Brass Ensemble ConcertMedical Insight: Dr. Brandfonbrenner and GuestsPanel Discussions/Demos Physical Fitness | Surgery/Options| Pregnancy, PMS| Dental WorkLunch, Vis i t Exhibi tsRecital: T B ARecital: T B AMaster Classes: Liston S e e l i n g T B A T B ADinnerConcert; Buchman, Reinhart, Duga, BaldwinMass Brass Choir Rehearsals | Stage Band Reading Session: Frink | Orchestral Excerpts: Speziale, Slaughter

M a y 3 0 , 1 9 9 3 , S u n d a y

9:00 AMI] Breathing Presentation - Jacobs & Co.10:30 A M| | Recital: Bower, Leach11:30 AM}} E x h i b i t o r Presentat ions ? ? - ? - ?12:30 PM] Lunch

1:30 PMI] Reci ta l : McHughes, Hamitton, et al.2:45 PMH Master Classes Horn Orchestral | Natural Horn Trumpet Solo Trpt . Orchestral | Trombone Solo

Ho rn SoloR o o mF : T b . R o o m G : TubaOrches t r a l Solo & Orch.

4:45 PMl Dinner /V is i t Exh ib i ts7:30 PM Concert: Butler, Ordman, National Symphony Horn Duo (Obison & Alimena), Speziale

10:00 P M| | | Brass Cho i r Reading Reh. Solo P lay ing In fo rmal Recept ion/Mixer w i th Art istsM a y 31, 1993, Monda:

?Master Classes: Biofeedback | Alexander Tech. | Caruso Method | Fami ly Mgmt . College Jobs Service Bands

Recital: T w o Chamber GroupsLunch /Exh ib i t s

1:00 PM|| Panel Discussion: " W o r k i n g with and fo r the Opp. Sex" - Butler, Pokorny, Glover, Horgan, Duga, Oyster, F r ink3:00 PM} Recital : N e w Talent4:30 PM] Recept ion/Dinner - Pioneers Banquet.8:00 P M| | Recital: TBA.

10:00 PMIl{ Jazz Concert: L iston & Friends | Brass Cho i r Solo PlayingJune_1, 1993, Tuesday

9:00 AM]] Mock Orchestral Auditions: Horn, Trumpet/Piccolo, Trombone, TubaMock Service Band Auditions: Hom, Trumpet, Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba

10:00 AM|| Panel Discussion: Dr. Betty ScottPerformance Psychology, Inner Game, Performer Prepares, Relaxation

11:15 AM|] Master Classes: Dr. Bet ty Scott - Relaxation "The Performer Prepares? ?Inner Game?12:30 PM] Lunch

1:30 P M] ] Reci ta l : N e w Talent3 :00 PM|l Grand Finale Concert

Schedule and artists subject to change

[ ~A woman sits in the stark wh i te

circle o f a spot l ight , conf ined to a

large chair out f i t ted wi th ropes and aset o f wr is t irons. For eighty minutesshe confronts the audience w i t h herpain in a mix tu re o f song, speech andtrombone playing. Mus ing , she picksup a mirror , stares into it, and asks,B u t wha t i f she?s not imag ined it??

Abbie Conant, performing herhusband Wil l iam Osborne?s musicaltheater work Mir iam often feels she?smirroring her life offstage. Conant is a

singer, actress, performer, and recital-ist, bul her main income is from herposition as solo trombonist with theMunich Philharmonic, which she hasheld since 1980.

Held, alas, w i t h great struggle.Since 1982, Conant has been en-tangled in court battles w i t h theorchestra, suing t h e m ? a n d , therefore,ithe-city o f M u n i c h ? f o r egregious sex

~ . d i s c r i m i n a t i o n sConant, a Juilliard graduate,

played her audition for the MunichPhilharmonic in 1980 behind a

screen?the last time, incidentally,that the Munich Phitharmonic held a

screened audition. She defeated 32men and was hired as first trombonefor the usual probationary year.Obviously talented and extremelywell-liked, she was elected a memberof the orchestra by her colleagues atthe end of her probation.

However , Conant?s presence inthe t rad i t ional ly male domain o f thebrass section was a thorn in somepeople?s sides. Just h o w much so wasnot apparent un t i l she was summonedone day to a meet ing and in fo rmedthat, af ter almost t w o years, GeneralM u s i c D i rec to r Sergiu Cel ib idachewanted t o demote her f rom f i rst t osecond trombone, w i t h a correspond-i ng cut in pay.

Conant was flabbergasted. A s atenured music ian, the orchestra cou ldnot l ega l l y remove her. The orchestra

?...Whether the P ia in t i f f? fo ran orchestra of the quality o f theMunich Philharmonic?uncondi-tionally possesses the necessaryphysical strength, endurance, anddurability to play the mostdi f f icul t passages according tothe conductor's instructions forlength, intensity, and loudness.?

T w o orchestra members (a tut t icel l ist and a second flute) attested thatshe had an ?unmistakable shortness o fbreath? in the Moza r t Requiem trom-bone solo, not know ing that the guestconductor on that evening had alreadywr i t ten a test imonial s ingl ing out thissolo as an example o f Conant?sexcel lent p lay ing. ?That,? Conantsays, ?made them look very f o o l i s h .

Yet, to-furnish p r o o f o f her ab i l i ty ,Conant had to have her lung capaci tymeasured at a hospi ta l and be evalu-ated as a music ian by a court-ap-pointed t rombone expert. The searchfor a suitable and unbiased exper t t o o kover two years, despite the accompa-ny ing honora r i um o f $2000. Conduc-tors were reluctant, k n o w i n g that tog i ve a posi t ive evaluat ion w o u l d be t olose all chance o f guest conduct ingw i t h the Phi lharmonic. Final ly ,Professor He inz Fadle, fo rmer presi-dent o f the In te rna t iona le

Posaunenverein igung, agreed andConant traveled to h is home city andplayed seven o f the most d i f f i c u l tpassages in the li terature, up to threet imes each, i n the presence o f a citywitness and a tape recorder. Thepassages were Ravel?s Bo lera ,Mozart?s Tuba M i r u m , Mahler?s T h i r dSymphony, Wagner?s Tannhai iserOverture and Watki i renr i t t , the F ina leto Bruckner?s F o u r t h Symphony, andSchumann?s Th i rd Symphony.

Even under these stressful condi -tions, he cou ld speak o f Conant?sp lay ing on l y in the highest terms:

?She is a wind player with anoutstandingly well-trainedembouchure, i.e., l ip muscula-

Y

T h e T r i a l s o f a T r o m b o n i s tappealed to the Munich Equal RightsOffice but they said they would need?supernatural powers to change an oldself-contented patriarch as

Celibidache? and suggested she waituntil ?a newer woman-friendly con-ductor took over the rudder.? Conantreturned to court,

In June 1991 the courts ruled thatConant was the victim o f discrimina-tion and placed her in the same paygroup as all her male colleagues.Because the union did not present thenecessary legal briefs, the orchestradid not place her at the same senioritytevel as all o f her male solo windcolleagues with the same seniority.Conant has appealed to correct this,Incredibly, the city has also appealed,not only to oppose the seniorityquestion, but also to keep her in thelower pay group.

Despi te these battles, Conant hasracked up an impressive array o f ?

artistic achievements, among them anacclaimed solo CD, a long l i s t o f soloappearances, and numerous compos i -tions. She is also deeply i nvo l ved inher w o r k as a singer and actress. Herperformances in W i l l i a m Osbome?smusic theater works are so p o w e r f u lthat they of ten leave the audiencemore dra ined than the actress. Thecouple?s troupe, the WastelandCompany, has per fo rmed throughoutEurope t o cr i t i ca l acclaim, inc lud ing asubstantial f inanc ia l award f rom theM u n i c h Cul tura l M in i s t r y . Conan t hasbranched out as an actress; h e r secondf i l m appearance, was in 1991 in thesequel t o the German te lev is ion seriesHeimat .

St i l l , the legal battles o f the lasttwelve years have inde l ib l y coloredthe art ist 's t ime in M u n i c h . ?I badsuch a bad experience here that I can?tshake it,? she says. ?I t r y to let go o fthe past, bu t it?s r i gh t in f r o n t o f me a l lthe t ime.? She and h e r husband w o u l dl ike to leave M u n i c h ; bu t w i l l remain

y

circumvented this diff iculty by firingher and ?rehiring? her under a second-chair contract. She turned to theorchestra player?s union for advice;the union furnished legal assistance,but warned her that litigation mighttake as long as five years, duringwhich time she would have to remainin the orchestra, playing second chair.Hoping to avoid all this, Conantproposed a compromise toCelibidache: she would play secondchair under him, and first chair underguest conductors. Celibidache?sresponse was clear. ?You know theproblem,? he said, ?we need a man forsolo trombone.?

Cont inenta l law required thatConant, as the accused, fu rn ish p r o o fthat she was qua l i f i ed to be a first-chair t rombonist , in the f o r m o ftest imonials f rom other brass playersand conductors. The f i rst three hear-ings, held over an approx imate ly t w o -year period, were decided i n Conant?sfavor. The judge pointed out that they

~r i t i c isms ' in spite o f his repeatedrequests that they do so. Furthermore,the 43 glowing testimonials whichConant had amassed beliedCelibidache?s claim that she wasincapable.

The c i t y appealed and made aspecific criticism that the judgeformulated:

1992 I i Membership

U . S . funds or money orders only,please.J r y o u k n o w o f anyone w h o

¢ ? might be interested in the IWBC,send us the i r name and address.

Y o u r membersh ip cont r ibu t ion isfu l l y tax-deductible.

ture, that enables her to praducecontrolled tone production with acontrolled breath flow, and whichgives her the optimal use of herbreath volume.

?Her breathing technique is

very good and makes her playing,even in the most diff icultpassages, superior and easy.

?In this audition she showedsufficient physica strength,endurance and breath volume,and above and beyond that, shehas enormously solid nerves.

?This, paired with the above-mentioned wind playing quali-ties, puts her completely in theposition to play the most diff icultphrases in a top orchestra,holding them out according to theconductor's ?directions foradequate length and intensity, as

wel l as strength.?Aga in the court ru led in Conant?s

favor, al though she had to w a i t for t w oy e a r s ? s t i l l be ing pa id as a secondt r o m b o n i s t ? b e f o r e the wr i t tenj u d g m e n t came through in 1988 and.the ru l ing became of f ic ia l .

Her problems did not end there.After she won this judgment, SergiuCelibidache placed her in a lower paygroup than ali 15 o f her male solowind colleagues. They receive up to$650.00 per month more than shedoes. She requested help from heremployer, Munich?s Mayor GeorgKronawitter, but he refused. She

unt i l the court rules on the most recentappeal.

Although appealed, the gist of thelatest ruling still stands: in Conant?scase, the orchestra violated the EqualTreatment Law. This ruling representssomething of a landmark in Germanlegal history. Her severe personalstruggle is bringing its rewards:Germany?s largest and most respectednews magazine, Der Spiegel, hascovered her story and it has since beenin newspapers all over Germany.Orchestras like the Vienna and PraguePhilharmonics do not allow womanmembership at all. Berlin has 4women out of 130 members. AbbieConant has becomear a l l y i n g point forEuropean women musicians fightingfor their rights.

Anne Midge t teRheinstraBe 10D 8 0 0 M i i n c h e n 40089 36 14991

The IWBC wants to acknowledgethe invaluable help of the St. Lou isVolunteer Lawyers and Accoun-tants fo r the Arts. Thank you!

STous vounaEEeLAWYERS AND

Yes, I w i s h to become a C h a r t e r M e m b e r o f the I n t e r n a t i o n a lWomen?s Brass Con fe rence a n d rece ive the news le t te r . Enc losed ism y d o n a t i o n of:

$50 $75 $100 OtherName:Address:

Telephone:

Please make checks payable to the IWBC and send to:IWBC540 South Geyer RoadSt. Louis, M O 63122

A s k y o u r or your spouse's emp loye r about M a t c h i n g G i f t Programs,and he lp us raise more funds .

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Featured Performers/Panel ists: Sylvia Al imena, A n n E, Baldwin, Rebecca Bower, Heather Buchman,Barbara Butler, Jan Duga, Betty Glover, Laurie Fr ink, Robin Graham, Maureen Horgan , A r n o l d Jacobs,Joyce Johnson-Hami l ton, Cathy Leach, Patricia McHughes, Laurel Ohison, Ava Ordman, Caro lO y s t e r ,Roger Oyster, Eugene Pokorny, Betty Scott, El len Seeling, Susan Slaughter, Mar ie Speziale,Constance Weldon.

M I S S I O N S T A T E M E N T .* Present conferences and seminars featuring

women performers, lecturers, teachers on al l540 S o u t h G e y e r R o a d the brass i ns t r umen ts , as w e l l as m e n p e r f o r m -Sa in t L o u i s , M O 63122 e r s / l e c t u r e r s .

Internat ional Women's Brass Conference

* Hono r women pioneers w h o have had success-fu l careers as brass performers/teachers.

+ Present music by women composers f r o m al lcenturies,

E d i t o r : + Create a fo rum to meet other w o m e n brassRebecca Bower players f rom all performance venues and

Publ isher : disciplines.- Nancy R. Schick, Schick Mus ic Copy ing + Publish a bi-annual newsletter featur ing infor-

Services, St. Louis, Missouri mat ion w h i c h w i l l be educational, historical,and advertise career opportunit ies.