Present Change

Explores, Analyzes, and Presents current data on the representation of women composers in programming and the workforce.

Efforts Towards Diversity

In our present world, there are many current efforts working towards a more diverse future in the world of music. Just like the women that these efforts are promoting, these programs can be overlooked or hard to locate.

In the above video, Dr. Tabatha Easley D.M.A. speaks on current programs and organizations that work to highlight women composers in music.

Clarisse Leite

Cláudio César Dias Baptista, FAL, via Wikimedia Commons

Ruth Crawford Seeger

Peggy Seeger Collection, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Dame Elizabeth Maconchy

United Kingdom Government. Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Change in Many Ways

There are many ways that educators, musicians, and researchers can work towards more equality in composer diversity. One of those ways is to engage different audiences. Conductors are one of the main faces of the orchestra and can be a role model to look up to for aspiring musicians.

“I once believed that I possessed creative talent, but I have given up this idea. A woman must not desire to compose - there has never yet been one able to do it. Should I expect to be the one?”

- Clara Schumann (1819-1896)

Programs to Support

Boulanger Initiative

The mission of the Boulanger Initiative is to advocate for women and all gender marginalized composers (Boulanger Initiative). They strive to foster inclusivity and representation to expand and enrich the collective understanding of what music is, has been, and can be. They promote music composed by women through performance, education, research, consulting, and commissions.

This section focuses on highlighting organizations and their efforts to promote more diverse and inclusive repertoire in programming and curriculum.

Databases

The Boulanger Initiative has put together an extensive database of gender marginalized composers.

This database is a collection of over 10,000 works by over 1,300 composers. No longer are these composers "too difficult" to find as the Boulanger Initiative has made an easy and free way to find their music. If you are a musician, conductor, or musical director this is an invaluable resource to broaden your repertoire.

Click HERE to access the Database — Boulanger Initiative

Creating an Inclusive Future

What steps can be taken in future to insure a greater representation of these amazing women?

In an 2017 NPR article, Mohammed Fairouz writes, "Rather than engage in yet another discussion with friends over the unchanging behavior of our proven public misogynists, discover and fall in love with a new score by a female composer. Program one of the many, many powerful works by one of my female colleagues. Realize that your concert halls are training grounds for empathy. The more that their music is allowed to speak to an audience, the harder it is for people to objectify or dehumanize the creators of the works that speak to their hearts."

Mr. Matt Wilshire of the Richmond Symphony expands on his process of finding programming for their concerts and what Symphonies and Orchestras can do to make a difference in the disparity of representation.

At the end of their annual Orchestra Repertoire Report, The Institute for Composer Diversity (ICD) gives suggestions on best practices that can help orchestras create more inclusive programming.

1. DISTRIBUTION: Spread works by underrepresented composers throughout mainstage seasons rather than only performing them on one “special” concert.

2. TOPIC: It is important to avoid placing topical limitations on composers when commissioning new works. Composers from historically excluded groups have much to say beyond works that speak directly to their identity or background.

3. RATIONALE: No composer wants to be programmed just because of who they are—program their works because their music resonates with you and it will resonate with your audiences as well.

4. BENCHMARKS: Set up minimum percentage goals before solidifying specific repertoire decisions. ICD suggests striving for an annual minimum of 24% of each season to be comprised of works by composers from historically excluded groups with that number being proportionately balanced with 8% for each group.

5. AVOID “3-OR-MORE”: Orchestras often perform multiple works by the same composer either in a special series or throughout their season. This practice has the unintentional consequence of removing space in a concert season that could be used to feature works by historically excluded groups.