Karina Canellakis

On Friday night, we waited in the packed Christos Lambrakis Hall for conductor Karina Canellakis to take the stage to conduct the London Philharmonic in a much-anticipated concert. The president of Greece, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, was also present in the main box.

One of the most talked-about conductors of our time, Greek-American Karina Canellakis, will make her debut at the Athens Concert Hall (68 Vasilissis Sofias) on February 23, leading the London Philharmonic.

"A woman's place is in the kitchen, not in the orchestra." That statement, from none other than legendary orchestra conductor Herbert von Karajan, lays bare just how sexist the world of male-dominated classical music is toward women conductors.