2 Working with living women composers
Working with living women composers removes many of the barriers of programming works by historical ones. They are alive, they can advocate for themselves, and they can provide copies of their own music (whether this be in the form of scores or sound art for diffusion).
There are lots of women composers and other types of music creators active today. Many maintain their own websites with lists of their works and contact details. There might already be works by particular women which you have heard and want to perform, or you might know women working in composition/music creation who you want to work with.
If you want to search for other women composers, you will find the F-List Directory of UK Female+ Musicians an invaluable resource. The F-List was created by Vick Bain, who is a leading campaigner for gender equity within the UK music industry. The F-List is a fully searchable directory of a large number of UK-based female+ musicians, songwriters and composers. The F-List defines itself as female+, as it is inclusive of transgender and gender diverse musicians. You can search for artists – including composers – by categories of musical role, genre, instrument and location. It is also an excellent resource if you want to search for other women musicians, such as local performers. The F-List also produces an extremely informative newsletter, which you might want to consider signing up for.