How to empower women through music
Inside Ardian
How to empower women through music
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05 June 2025
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Ardian Women
Reading time: 4 minutes
![]() | Ardian sponsors La Maestra, a women orchestra conductor competitionClaire Gibault, conductor, Artistic & Musical Director of the Paris Mozart Orchestra and Co-Founder of La Maestra, talks about the genesis of this competition, created with the help of Ardian.
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How did the idea for the La Maestra music competition for female orchestral conductors come to life?
While serving as the only female member of a judging panel for a mixed-gender conducting competition in Mexico, I was stunned by the behavior of one of the male judges. He flat-out refused to vote when a woman was conducting, claiming that women were biologically unfit to be conductors. The other judges and I managed to ensure that a deserving woman advanced to the finals, though she wasn’t named a joint winner, even after receiving the same number of votes as the male winner.
When did Dominique Senequier and Ardian become a sponsor of the La Maestra music project?
The following day, back in Paris, I met with Dominique Senequier, who was already a patron of the Paris Mozart Orchestra. Deeply moved by my story, she asked, “What do you want to do?” I’m a big believer in the importance of fostering both male and female talent, so I’d never considered creating a women-only competition. But Dominique felt it was important to give greater visibility to talented women, especially given the obstacles they face.
If you decide to create this competition, I will help you finance it.
Dominique was the first person I shared this idea with, and her encouragement was instrumental in my decision to move forward with this prestigious, well-funded competition. I then reached out to Laurent Bayle, who was the director of the Philharmonie de Paris at the time, knowing we needed the backing of a major institution. He immediately supported the vision and put us in touch with other potential sponsors.
While some projects take years to take shape, within just four months, we secured funding — including Ardian’s crucial support — and announced the launch of the La Maestra competition.
How does the La Maestra music competition support the career development of female orchestral conductors?
Although there are many conducting competitions open to both men and women, women are rarely selected. The La Maestra competition and its academy stand apart by offering winners two years of dedicated support. They take part in concerts with the Paris Mozart Orchestra, both in Paris and on tour. We also provide them with masterclasses, mentoring and coaching. Additionally, the Philharmonie de Paris supports the winners by taking them on to be assistants or to work on concerts.
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12%
of orchestras around the world were conducted by women in 2023 (up from 4% in 2019, before La Maestra’s launch)
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14 candidates
chosen for the third edition of La Maestra, which took place from March 14 to 17, 2024
Since its inception, La Maestra has introduced the world to exceptional talents, including Israeli conductor Bar Avni, who won in 2024, Franco-British conductor Stephanie Childress, who is the newly appointed guest conductor of the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya, Polish conductor Anna Sułkowska Migoń and Greek conductor Zoe Zeniodi, who was recently appointed Musical Director of the Orquesta Filarmónica de Buenos Aires. With each edition, the level of competition and its international and media influence grows.
The winners appreciate the platform, and their success demonstrates the real impact La Maestra has on advancing women’s conducting careers.
In 2024, the Ardian Women’s Club invited Claire Gibault for a conference dedicated to gender equality issues in the conductor’s profession. Claire Gibault shared with the members her extraordinary career as a conductor and her commitment to the fight for gender parity and against all forms of discrimination.