Abbie's Experiences in Bestseller Book

March 22, 2005

Malcolm Gladwell's new book, Blink (published by Little & Brown, 2005), has been number one on the New York Times best seller list for hardcover non-fiction for the last two weeks. The book explores the importance of hunch, instinct and first impressions to the workings of the mind -- and often in terms of gender and racial bias. As of this date, the book has been on the best seller list for nine weeks. 

The final chapter, which is entitled "Conclusion," is devoted mainly to the discrimination Abbie Conant faced in the Munich Philharmonic. The orchestra did not know she was a woman. She defeated 32 male opponents. When she stepped from behind the audition screen the orchestra was shocked. It is a case study perfectly suited to the thesis of Gladwell's book. The chapter also includes a thorough discussion of the Vienna Philharmonic's employment practices, and briefly discusses two other women brass players, Julie Landsman (Met Opera Orchestra), and Sylvia Alimena (National Symphony.)

It's great to see very useful information about women in music in a book that is number one on the New York Times best seller list. 

William Osborne
http://www.osborne-conant.org