When she was nine, Marin Alsop attended one of Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts and announced she was going to be a conductor. Four decades later—after facing endless obstacles—Alsop was named the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s music director, becoming the first woman ever to head a major American symphony, and she went on to enjoy international renown. With unprecedented access, director Bernadette Wegenstein takes us around the world and behind the scenes, illuminating both Alsop’s extraordinary performances and her inspiring work with students, particularly aspiring female conductors. The Conductor is a joyful profile of a groundbreaking woman who believes in the transformational power of art.
