Please scroll down to the graph on female faculty in composition in 2015. And read some of the article.
My personal feeling is that all female composer concerts further marginalize women. My idea is that we could start labeling concerts as “all male” composers. I think that would raise the issue more effectively, without marginalizing anyone.
Wondering how others feel about this still shocking disparity and how to address it, other than to wait 10-20 years for natural attrition and replacement of faculty members, and even slower efforts to include women composers in concerts. It is hard enough to get “new music” played regardless of gender.
For those of you with instrumentalist, vocalist or composer kids in conservatories, is this issue being discussed?
Affirmative action is in vogue, but not sure how I feel about that either.
Yes, it has and is being discussed in classes. My daughter had classes in both undergrad and grad where female composers (and the derth of same) were talked about. She purposely wrote papers about and sung the music of female composers both past and present, such as Fanny Mendelssohn, Clara Schumann, Lili & Nadia Boulanger, Amy Beach, Cécile Chaminade, and Jennifer Higdon (at least those are the ones I can remember from her repertoire!).
While I’m not usually a fan of “labeling” things or people, it has become necessary to do so in the case of women and minority groups in order to call attention to problems.
Some schools have at least equal male and female grad students in composition these days…and the faculty is coming along, I think. There is hope.
I still bristle at “all female” composer concerts etc. but understand the realities. I still think it would be great to label concerts “all male composers” instead. Let’s say, Beethoven, Mahler and Brahms is an “all male concert.” Or better yet, Glass, Adams, and Crumb etc.
Just today I received a record of string quartets (the vinyl was bought from Hanson Records, the excellent record store in Oberlin Ohio). The quartets are performed by The Crescent Quartet which the cover photo indicates is an all female string quartet. The composers of the works performed are Amy Beach, Ruth Schonthal, Lucie Vellere, and Sarah Aderholdt. Other than listing this information, the record does not announce itself as a compilation of music written by women and played by women. I liked this way. On the back cover though it does discuss the Crescent Quartet taking part in special concerts by women at various conferences and festivals regarding women composers. It is great to have conferences like this as long as they don’t serve to exclude women composers from the all encompassing composition conferences which for the sake of the profession need to include more women. More women need to head composition departments not simply be members thereof. Performers need to champion the works of female composers such as Hilary Hahn with Higdon’s violin concerto which is a part of many symphony orchestras’ subscription concerts.