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If you look at the listings of the major orchestras in America you will see two things in common; very few of them are programming major pieces by women composers, and almost none have a woman on the podium. Despite the abundance of wonderful compositions by women, the world of classical music has been, for centuries, a man’s world.

In Feb 2020, Eimear Noone became the first woman to conduct the Oscar ceremony orchestra

Eimear Noone
https://www.bbc.com/
Eimear Noone

The BBC News has announced that Irish conductor and composer Eimear Noone will make history this weekend as the first woman to conduct the Oscar ceremony orchestra.  Best known for conducting the scores for video games such as World of Warcraft, Zelda and Diablo, Noone says that conducting cinematic scores and video games is really very similar. "We use the type of harmonic language in gaming that's very cinematic, so the type of chord change that evokes an emotion or paints a picture is similar in that way, although in gaming we're not so worried about treading on dialogue."

Noone conducts as many as 50 concerts each year, including the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra along with orchestras around the world including the Philadelphia Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, the Royal Philharmonic of London and the Sydney Symphony in Australia. 

"my inner little eight-year-old's going, 'I kind of dreamed it but I never thought it would really happen, but I did it.'"

Insiring the next generation of young women...

She hopes to inspire young women to become conductors and composers.  Noone stated that being chosen as the first female conductor of the ceremony orchestra, is such an honor, stating, "my inner little eight-year-old's going, 'I kind of dreamed it but I never thought it would really happen, but I did it.'"

Learn more about Noone and the music that she'll be conducting at the Oscars.