Being a woman and an independent musician
Marion Devaud is a freelance violinist who has worked mainly with the OSR since 2005, but also with the Sinfonietta de Lausanne. She also teaches and plays other types of music in groups such as Ensemble Artefact and Dear Deër. She is currently setting up her own platform for private concerts and music for events, to be called Neon.
As a freelancer and an extra in orchestras, what are the specific problems a woman might encounter?
First of all, it's worth mentioning that as freelancers, we're all subject to the same stressful conditions, whether we're men or women: adrenaline levels are particularly high when replacing someone at short notice, and life's ups and downs (illness or otherwise) affect us all. The covid pandemic has also been particularly trying, highlighting the problems faced by freelance musicians - on a personal level, it has increased my level of anxiety and fear.
As far as gender-specific issues are concerned, the subject of pregnant women in orchestras (or any other noisy environment) is beginning to be taken into account under the Ordinance on Maternity Protection of the Labour Law, as there is concern about the damage caused by prolonged excessive noise levels to the mother and her foetus. Pending the results of the risk analysis carried out by the cantonal doctor's office and the labour inspectorate, the OSR has had to take precautionary measures and no longer hires pregnant women from the first day of pregnancy. In the event of a work ban in this context, tenured musicians retain their salary, but this is not the case for freelancers, who find themselves in a precarious position. There is also the fear of leaving the work network in the event of prolonged absence: a solution must therefore be found to ensure that they are not prejudiced; for the time being, discussions at union level are underway.
And, of course, music being no exception to the rule, as women we are not immune and are more exposed to power relationships than men.
Have you ever encountered difficulties related to power plays or sexism?
I haven't had to deal directly with problems of this kind, but I'm well aware that they do exist, sometimes on a subtle level. Generally speaking, as women, we'd like to be appreciated for our work as musicians, not for external reasons, to be judged on our skills and not on the way we dress or our physical appearance. But can we be sure why we are or aren't chosen? In any case, I think it's important to respect everyone's sensitivity and adjust our behavior accordingly. Younger generations are more aware of this, and that gives me hope.
How do you see the role of women in orchestras?
The behind-the-scenes phase of the orchestral competition ensures greater equality of opportunity. In the orchestras, parity is fairly well represented in the strings, especially among violinists, although key positions are still often entrusted to men - to obtain a position of responsibility, the woman often has to be overqualified, to be even better to be considered credible. Brass and percussion are still largely male-dominated, while the harp is highly feminized. Other spheres of music are still a long way from parity: composition, conducting, but also other musical styles such as rock. It's not a question of lack of interest or aptitude, but of social codes acquired by children from an early age, and the injunctions that expect men to be enterprising and strong, and women graceful and more of a good listener - differences presented as definitive givens and used to legitimize privilege and discrimination. These archaic prejudices can still be found in certain instrument choices, with some considered virile and others feminine. A little background information: in the 19the In the 19th century, for example, women were discouraged from playing wind instruments on the grounds that their faces would become less graceful. Here too, I believe that the current phase of deconstruction of the patriarchal system will make the future better.
Do you feel that women are more demanding of each other or more inclined to solidarity?
In our profession, we have to be very demanding of ourselves, and de facto of each other. I can imagine that there are difficult situations that exacerbate the competitive atmosphere that already exists in the music world when you're doing replacements: it's a magnificent but demanding profession, and it's easy to feel your place threatened in this race for perfection, especially when you don't have a "real place" anywhere. As far as solidarity is concerned, it all depends on the individual and the orchestra. As far as I'm concerned, I'm lucky to have good support from other musicians with whom I can share my impressions. In other fields, I also have the advantage of being surrounded by exceptional, generous and caring women, true role models who give me added strength. Whatever our profession, we would all benefit from practicing mutual aid and benevolence.
