Classical Music

Women in Classical Music

If you look at the listings of the major orchestras in America you will see two things in common; very few of them are programming major pieces by women composers, and almost none have a woman on the podium. Despite the abundance of wonderful compositions by women, the world of classical music has been, for centuries, a man’s world.

Jennifer Higdon - prolific with premiere after premiere

Classical 91.5 WXXO-FM | By Ruth Phinney

Published February 15, 2018 at 3:05 PM EST

Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award winning composer Jennifer Higdon heard almost no classical music before going to college to study the flute. Since then, she has embraced the art, writing music that has been described as “lithe and expert.” In addition to her many commissions, Higdon now teaches at Curtis Institute, preparing our next generation of composers.

This post is part WXXI Classical 91.5’s celebration of Women’s History Month. For more of these stories and other resources, check out Celebrating the Contributions of Women to Classical Music.