Masterclass: Discussing Maestra with Maggie Contreras

Factual America

Once upon a time, to be the conductor of an orchestra was to be a man. No longer. Female conductors, however, are still very much a rarity. The Paris based La Maestra Competition aims to break down the barriers that women still face in becoming conductors by giving them a space to showcase their skills.

In Maestra, Maggie Contreras follows five women as they prepare to take part in the 2022 La Maestra Competition. Among them are Mélisse, a Parisian from Iowa, Zoe, a single mother who juggles her preparation with looking after her young twins, and Ustina, a Ukrainian whose country was invaded by Russia just a week before La Maestra started.

Maggie joins Matthew Sherwood to discuss these women and more: the physicality of being a conductor, the loneliness of preparation, and extreme limits of time that the women have in competition with their orchestra.

Maggie explains why she chose Maestra’s unlikely opening scene, how she ensured that the film would be accessible to viewers with no experience of conducting, and how her own background as an actor helped her to direct the film.

As with all films, Maestra could not have been made without its financial backers. These include David Letterman’s Worldwide Pants production company, and Jamie Wolf’s Foothill Productions. Maggie reflects on their contribution as well as that of the Northern Irish companies that handled the film’s editing.

Maggie takes Matthew back to her own musical childhood before discussing the challenge of making Maestra, both in the shadow of Covid and by being an outsider in Paris. Together, she and Matthew look at the bond that draws her diverse range of films together. It’s all about making them entertaining.

Watch the episode at https://factualamerica.com

“... you always have to have an idea of what it is you're getting into, but then the magic and joy and fun and danger is you take a step back and let it blossom into what it needs to be.” – Maggie Contreras