Women Composers Throughout the Ages
Learn more about the amazing and talented women composers featured in our March “Moment of Music” video, in honor of Women’s History Month.
Please click on the image to learn about each composer (courtesy of Wikipedia).
Please scroll down to find more resources on this fascinating topic
There are so many talented women composers, it was terribly difficult to choose just a few to feature in our video. We invite you to explore this rich topic further. Below are a few links to begin your journey:
Lists of women composers by time period/birth date, with biographical links
Articles and books about women composers
“12 Black Female Classical Composers You Need to Know,” [www.nateholdermusic.com, June 13, 2020]
“The Top 35 Women Composers in Classical Music (from 1900-2017),” Anne Midgette [The Washington Post, August 4, 2017]
“Top 19 Famous Female Composers,” Mary Rogelstad [www.blogs.jwpepper.com, May 22, 2018]
Sounds and Sweet Airs: The Forgotten Women of Classical Music, Anna Beer [Oneworld Publications, 2016; available in bookstores and on Amazon]
Playlists
“Essential Women Composers” [www.wqxr.org, March 25, 2019]: An in-depth playlist featuring many of the composers featured in the video, plus many more.
“1200 Years of Women Composers: a 78-hour Playlist that Takes You from Medieval Times to Now” [www.openculture.com, October 12, 2015]: A Spotify playlist “from Hildegard to Higdon.”
Local composers and resources
The Boulanger Initiative: Inspired by Nadia and Lili Boulanger, two Washington, D.C.-based musicians, Laura Colgate and Joy-Leilani Garbutt, have established a foundation whose mission is to “promote music composed by women through performance, education, and commissions.”
Local composers: Elizabeth Austin | Jessica Krash | Lori Laitman