Women’s work should always be recognized and celebrated – but we will take any opportunity to pay special attention to the achievements women have made, and continue to make in every field. At Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy we encourage everyone to make a special effort during Women’s History Month to be more educated about and supportive of women’s work in classical music. We’ve put together a short guide of quick, easy, and meaningful ways to voice your support for women’s work in music.
Apply for a WPA Performance Grant
The grant application deadline for the Spring 2017 grant cycle is fast approaching, but there is still time to encourage your favorite community, professional, and student ensemble to apply for funding to support their performances of works by women composers! The application and more information – including repertoire suggestions – are all available online!
Attend a concert
This blog regularly includes updates on coming concerts featuring works by women composers, and our monthly newsletter includes a full concert listing for each month. One fantastic way to celebrate women’s work in music this month is to attend the annual Women Composers Festival of Hartford – the weekend full of concerts, lectures, and discussions offers wonderful opportunities to engage with music by women, and the performers who are dedicated to making sure that it is heard!
Listen in!
Even if your personal collection of women’s work in music isn’t particularly robust, there are many ways to listen in and expand your knowledge and appreciation if you aren’t able to make it to a concert in person. Most streaming services have curated collections to explore – and starting with one composer will likely lead to others! To learn more about contemporary women composers, subscribe to the Listening to Ladies podcast! This labor of love by composer Elizabeth Blair invites audiences to get to know contemporary composers better through fascinating conversations. Learn more about how you can help support this fantastic and important work here.
Add works by women to your repertoire
There are fantastic works available for amateur and professional musicians alike – challenge yourself to learn a new work, and support the publication of works by women composers. You can find a list of publishers that include many works by women composers here.
Give a gift celebrating Women Composers
Help spread the word about historic and contemporary women composers with a gift to help educate, inform, and inspire! The beautiful WPA 2017 calendar gives reminders for historic birthdays as well as biographical sketches for many forgotten or under appreciated composers. And the WPA store also includes many rare recordings of music by women from throughout the history of classical music.
We shouldn’t need a special month to recognize, honor, and appreciate the tremendous advancements that women have made in the history of classical music – it should be part of our daily lives. Yet, till we achieve equal representation for women’s work in music (or at least get far closer to it than we are currently) let’s all take the opportunity to make a particular effort to learn more, listen more, and share the importance of hearing these voices in concert halls, on radio stations, and in practice rooms.