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Tamara Brooks,
Orchestra and choir conductor
As a child, when I was playing the piano or the violin, I didn't think of myself as a girl. I only saw myself as a joyful musician.
I loved the sounds of the orchestra so much that I've wanted to conduct as long as I can remember. I don't think I ever saw a woman conductor, but somehow, in my imagination, I thought it would be wonderful to be one. I didn't think it was unusual at all. But other people were astonished that I wanted to do such a thing with my life.
I was fortunate to live in a country where there was no barrier to my study of conducting. If I did well in exams, if I was musical, if I was on fire about what I was doing — the professors in the conservatories were delighted to teach me.
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About the author
Ms. Brooks heads the Performance Ensemble Department at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, MA.
JSH Collections
This article is included in:
2001 - SPECIAL PRINT ISSUE
Woman—her undeniable worth
JSH-Online has hundreds of pamphlets, anthologies, and special editions for you to discover.
January 1, 2001 issue
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Woman her undeniable worth
Mary Metzner Trammell, William G. Dawley
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The rights of women sustained by divine law
By Nadia Niedzielska
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Marie-Céline Mbousnoum
with contributions from Marie-Céline Mbousnoum
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To the women of India
Carol Krishnaswami
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Cláudia Costin
with contributions from Cláudia Costin
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Benedita da Silva,
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Tamara Brooks,
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Dena Falken
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Valia Damala
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Kazuyo Tan
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Beate Hathaway
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Kendra Nordin
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Luisella Jaques-Deraney
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A Tribute to Women
By Camilo Gutierrez
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Julio Rivas, Father and Christian Science practitioner
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Michael Blitchtein
with contributions from Michael Blitchtein
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Gabriele Yonan
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Seti-Arti Kailola
with contributions from Seti-Arti Kailola
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Mary Baker Eddy in the light of womanhood
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