The annual Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, held in Santa Cruz, California, has a history of highlighting music by women. This is due in part to the festival focusing on living composers – however, I suspect that it is in part a happy consequence of the programming of music director and conductor Marin Alsop.
Here is a video where she describes the process of programming the Cabrillo Festival:
For the 2011 season, Cabrillo will have fifteen composers in residence – including six women.
- Margaret Brouwer
- Chiayu
- Anna Clyne
- Tina Davidson
- Zosha di Castri
- Elena Kats-Chernin