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.

Florence Price: trailblazer and published composer by age 14

Classical 91.5 WXXO-FM | By Ruth Phinney

Published February 15, 2018 at 4:11 PM EST

Composer Florence Price was a trailblazer: the first African-American woman to be recognized as a symphonic composer, and the first to have a composition played by a major orchestra. She studied at the New England Conservatory, but passed herself off as Mexican to avoid the prejudices of the time. Ultimately, she would end up in Chicago, where the Chicago Symphony Orchestra premiered one of her works. Her music, which had fallen into obscurity, has recently seen a revival.

Listen to her Mississippi Suite.

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.