The august, tradition-bound orchestra, founded 177 years ago when Vienna was the capital of a now-vanished empire, would not allow women even to audition until 1997, despite years of criticism, especially from the U.S. (It was happy to employ the services of a female harpist for 26 years before that, though it would not confer membership on her.) Now the 145-member orchestra, which has very low turnover, includes 15 women, with four more in the process of joining. – The New York Times