3 Ways of working with and promoting living women composers
Depending on your interests and resources (you might be a solo performer, an amateur ensemble, or a professional music organisation), how you choose to work with and promote living women composers/music creators will vary, and it’s possible to mix and match a number of the different options suggested here.
Programming pre-existing works
One of the simplest ways of including music by living women composers/music creators is to programme works which they have already produced. If you’re doing this, it can be a nice idea to reach out to her to let her know and/or to invite her to your concert (if appropriate).
Commissions
If you have the resources, you might want to consider commissioning a new work from a living woman composer/music creator. Unless you have unlimited resources and are able to give your commissioned composer/music creator a totally free brief to create whatever they want, it’s really important to consider the fit of the composer/music creator to the purpose of your commission and any other parameters which you need to work within (e.g. length of piece, the forces available to realise it, and any financial restraints). You will hear Stephan Meier talking more about commissioning new works a little later this week.
Artist residencies
If your organisation is big enough and you are able to afford it, you could consider employing a living woman composer/music creator as an artist in residence. In addition to performing her music, you might want to invite her to be involved in outreach and/or education work with your local community or school(s).
Special projects
If you are working with a specific woman composer/music creator, and you have the contacts, you might also want to consider creating a new work as part of a special project with an education provider (school or university), community group, or community music ensemble. Depending on their input into the new work, the groups and communities which you work with might even become co-creators. Special projects such as these could be a commission and/or happen as part of an artist residency.