I recently came across a post in one of the many online choir director groups that I visit. It went something like this:
"I'm a white, hetero male teacher and I don't want to program music by white male composers next year. I still want to be inclusive of historical pieces, however. Where do I begin?"
First off, cheers to you, sir. Thank you for bringing representation to your choir rehearsals. Secondly, please be aware that programming "non-white" or "non-male" music on it's own isn't optimal. As a female musician, I hate when I attend a concert that "Celebrates Women", only to find that the composers and compositions on that program are never used by the ensemble again.
It's far better to include women composers among their equals, rather than as a separate entity. That being said, here are a few of my favorite female composers in chronological order. This list is not comprehensive and includes mostly Western music and notation.
For information on composers from non-Western traditions, stay tuned! I am busy researching a wide variety of choral music from various nations and historical periods.
Medieval/Renaissance
Comtessa Beatriz de Dia
Hildegard von Bingen
Baroque:
Barbara Strozzi (Valle)
Classical:
Anna Amalia Herzogin von Saschen
Fanny Mendelssohn
Romantic:
Augusta Holmes
In exitu Israel [Psalm 113] (SATB)
Hymne a la paix (SATB)
Clara Schumann
Eloisa d’Herbil
Lili Boulanger
Mercedes Arias
Nadia Boulanger
Early 20th Century:
Amy Beach
This Year’s at the Spring
Princess Magogo
Stefania Turkewich
Young-ja Lee
Contemporary:
Abby Betinis
Chen Yi
With Flowers Blooming (SSA)
Du Yun
Esther Alejandro de León
Joan Szmyko
Lim June-Hee
Sungji Hong
Missa Lumen de Lumine (3-pt treble)
Susan Brumfield
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