Confronting Canonicity And Promoting Diversity: Gender And Contemporary Concert Programming

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"The project aims to challenge the gender inequality of classical-music concert programming andinvestigate the frequent tokenism and convenience programming (where the same few women appearin concert programmes), which is leading to the canonisation of a handful of women composers thatignores the vast collection of women's music that exists beyond the few in circulation."Clara Schumann, Fanny Mendelssohn, Hildegard von Bingen. All prolific female composerswho are thankfully beginning to appear more frequently on classical music programmes - awelcome change from the overwhelming number of performances of the male heavyweightsof the classical canon. The significant inclusion of women composers in classical musicprogramming is long overdue. There is a general sense of the cognizance of needing todiversify performances; which very easily slips into the realm of tokenism and canonisationof a select handful of female composers, such as those mentioned above, while ignoring thevast majority of contributions women have made to composition over the years. While it isuplifting to see a concert showcasing the delights of Barbara Strozzi, it is often the case thatprogramming such as this would be one performance, shoe-horned into a season of moretraditional programming where there is nary a female composer in sight. We then have theissue of the non-Barbara Strozzi's; the women composers who have not had the boon ofbeing associated with male composers who are already cemented in the western canon.This paper will explore two key areas: the need for female composers to be includedin a less tokenistic fashion in classical programming, and for the inclusion of a variety ofwomen composers rather than a select few. Using this research as a foundation, this projectwill put forward strategies that organisations and ensembles can use to ensure a diverseprogramme of women composers. Three case studies will be created, working withambassadors of the Donne Foundation, to explore good practice in programming diverseand gender equal concert programmes. What cannot be underestimated is the impact thisresearch will have on the cultural sector in general, as it will provide strategies thatorganisations can use to address their own gender imbalance when programming concertseasons. It will also provide a basis for future research on avoiding tokenism and generaldiversity in classical music performance.This research will consist of two primary methods: an exploration of issues relating tothe topic based on texts and analysis of previous related projects, and case studies ofensembles to create practical strategies to address gender balance in classical musicprogramming. As discovered in Donne's analysis of a 2020/21 concert season, this researchis sorely needed and overdue; works by women were included in only 11.45% of concertsperformed worldwide. A full enquiry must be made to explore the reasoning and historicalprecedent that contribute to this gender imbalance, which can then inform, in collaborationwith ensembles committed to inclusive programming, strategies to move away from thismisogynistic model.Draft structurei) Introduction (2,000 words)ii) Changing attitudes to performing women's music (15,000 wor