The Glasshouse

Peggy Wu steps up to the podium with determination and a big smile as part of the Women Conductors programme (WoCo). Her journey into conducting began with a move from Hong Kong to the UK, and the pandemic gave her the time to reflect and make life-changing career decisions.

During the pandemic, with no performances on the horizon, Peggy found herself contemplating her future. “I did have time to think seriously about what I wanted to do. I decided that was to be a conductor,” she says, emphasising the new career path she decided to follow.

Coming from a musical family in bustling Hong Kong, Peggy was initially set on a career as a concert pianist. Her mother, a piano teacher, and her father ran a music school, shaping Peggy’s early ambitions. However, an injury led her to question her identity as a musician. “I had a bit of an existential crisis with my connection as a pianist,” she shares. “Things didn’t feel the same… I started thinking more about conducting.”

Peggy’s inspiration partly came from Yip Wing-sie, a recognised female conductor in Hong Kong. “When I was growing up, I never thought a woman on the podium was anything out of the ordinary,” she reminisces. However, upon moving to the UK for her master’s degree, she noticed the rarity of women in conducting roles.

Her transition to conducting wasn’t without challenges. She struggled with the psychological shift from being an instrumentalist to a conductor. “How could she transition her identity as an instrumentalist to feeling empowered enough to be on the podium?” she questioned herself. Peggy found support in an amateur orchestra in London, where she blossomed as music director for two years. “I slowly got over my psychological difficulty,” she adds, reflecting on her growth during this period.

Thinking about the lack of gender diversity in conducting, Peggy highlights the importance of creating a collaborative environment. She’s witnessed a top-down leadership style in the past. “The underrepresentation of women conductors is a global issue,” she observes. “I like having a long-term relationship with a group where I can,” she adds, highlighting how she prefers working alongside others.

Despite the progress, Peggy feels there’s still a long road ahead to achieve gender equality in conducting. However, programmes like WoCo offer hope by providing a supportive place for women conductors to build their skills and networks. “When you have a space like that, the conversation changes,” she says. “It’s not about excluding men, but the point is creating a space where women can talk openly about their challenges.”

Thanks to WoCo, the Women Conductors programme established by conductor Alice Farnham in 2014, more than 500 women conductors have had the chance to grow their skills, experience, and connections. The partnership between The Glasshouse International Centre for Music, Royal Northern Sinfonia, and the Royal Philharmonic Society brings the next big female conducting talents to the North East. They spend time working with the orchestra and getting a ton of feedback from the players. Coaching comes from Alice, along with guidance in getting professional work.

Participating in WoCo has boosted Peggy’s confidence, allowing her to transition into professional conducting with the support of orchestras like Royal Northern Sinfonia. “Before I joined WoCo for the 2024/25 cohort, I had the opportunity to be in front of professional orchestras, but never to take a rehearsal,” she shares. “One of the most difficult things I imagine I’d face was having the presence to step up in front of a group of especially high-calibre musicians,” she adds, highlighting how she’s flourished through the programme. “They’re happy to listen to the WoCo conductor’s ideas. It’s a space to find our footing, slowly and surely. Of course, we make mistakes, and we will grow from them,” she notes. Safe in the knowledge that the orchestra is happy for Peggy to use that space to experiment means a lot. “It’s the WoCo way.”

Peggy emphasises the value of shared experiences among women conductors, where they can openly talk about challenges and strategies. “Our experiences as women are different,” she says. “So, the effort that WoCo and other organisations have made to create space for women and marginalised genders is wonderful.”

Looking ahead, Peggy sees herself guest conducting and exploring opportunities in opera while relishing the collaborative nature of conducting, where the music created depends on the collective talents in the room. “Being on the podium and hearing what the players sound like drives me,” she concludes. “That’s what I’m very passionate about.” In the next few years, Peggy aspires to be in a place where she’s guest conducting and meeting different groups. “I love working in opera, and it would be brilliant to take my career in that direction. For now, I’m working with different people and projects, soaking everything in and joining in with whatever I can.”