Author: sarah

  • Back-to-School Resources

    Back-to-School Resources

    [Updated Aug. 27 2023] As teachers and students alike get ready to head back to classrooms, rehearsal spaces, and studios, it’s a wonderful time to think about the numerous ways that composers outside of the standard dead, white, male canon can be learned about, performed, and appreciated.  We at WPA firmly believe it’s never too…

  • Experiential Orchestra will Record Julia Perry’s Violin Concerto

    Experiential Orchestra will Record Julia Perry’s Violin Concerto

    By Sarah Baer When we think of the future of classical music – of how this tradition will adapt and change for the better in our digital age – ensembles can turn to the Experiential Orchestra as a model for how to move forward.  This fabulous ensemble based in New York City has curated not…

  • Tania León’s Stride: A Review

    Tania León’s Stride: A Review

    When considering that the canon of western art music is based in a system of white supremacy and patriarchy, it is a sad truth that most of the music that is presented in classrooms and concert halls is written by dead, white, men.  Scholars continue to spend great amounts of time in archives, studying scores,…

  • The Programming of BIPOC Composers

    The Programming of BIPOC Composers

    By Sarah Baer Our 2023-2024 repertoire report for the top 21 orchestras in the US (as determined by operating budget) is out — with not-great news about the current state of programming as it relates to works by women and non-binary composers.  In this post I’m returning to the same data set and looking at…