Her Story: Advocating for Women Composers in Classical Music

Her Story: Advocating for Women Composers in Classical Music
By Pam DeVier

Every month is Women’s History Month at the Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy, a
non-profit organization which celebrates the vast range of classical music by women
and encourages performances of their works. Advocating for centuries of music by
women, they provide research, resources, and financial assistance to performing arts
organizations throughout the U.S. in support of outreach, education, and programming
that reflects the truly diverse history – and future – of classical music. Through these
partnerships, they are changing historical inequities in classical music, one organization
at a time.

The Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy was born out of the Women’s Philharmonic, a
San Francisco-based professional orchestra that performed and made recordings from
1981 to 2004. Led by JoAnn Falletta from 1986 to 1997, the Women’s Philharmonic
premiered hundreds of works by past and living women composers. Through years of
research, the orchestra became a national repertoire and programming resource, in
addition to launching competitions, reading sessions, symposiums, and composer
residencies. But their greatest legacy is the discovery, restoration, and preservation of
hundreds of works by women composers. Much of this music, thought to be lost, was
painstakingly reconstructed from crumbling scores.

Today, the Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy provides resources and financial support
to other organizations, primarily orchestras, to continue the work of programming,
performing, and recording works by women composers. With a focus on grants and
educational resources, the Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy empowers other
organizations to join in the work for representation and equality. At the same time, they
continue to unearth, restore, and publish works that were thought lost. The Women’s
Philharmonic Advocacy has posed the question, “What does it mean to separate one
month for the recognition of one group?” They are working towards a time when it will
not be necessary to spotlight gender, race, or nationality for only one month out of the
year. Until then, their work to “level the playing field” continues.

In Colorado Springs, the Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy has financially supported
research, education, and performances of music by these women composers: Florence
Price, Amy Beach, Louise Farrenc, Jessie Montgomery, Ingrid Stölzel, Joan Trimble,
Marion Bauer, Fanny Mendelssohn, Ethel Smyth, Henriette Renié, Rachel Laurin, and
Jennifer Higdon. The upcoming 2023-2024 seasons for the Colorado Springs
Philharmonic and the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs are the most diverse yet,
including works by Jeanne Demessieux, Alyssa Morris, Germaine Tailleferre, Jenni
Brandon, Anna Clyne, Nkeiru Okoye, Valerie Coleman, and Lili Boulanger.
But right now, I’m going to sit back with a cup of tea and enjoy one of my favorite
recordings: The Symphonic Works of Mel Bonis, with the Bucharest Symphony Orchestra.
Heaven.