discovering new music:
This extensive resource is dedicated to championing the music of composers from underrepresented groups. Maintained by folks at SUNY Fredonia, it has a works catalog that you can browse by metrics like instrumentation, era, difficulty level, and composer demographics. Click on any result for work info with audio, program notes, how to order scores, etc.
The report page also contains analysis for how diverse the programming is for orchestras in the US. For the 2021-2022 season, analyzing the programs of over 100 American orchestras: 12% were by women and 17% were by people of color. This is an improvement over the last five years! The programming of living white male composers has been virtually unaffected by these trends toward greater diversity; rather, the percentage of works performed by deceased white men has decreased to 70% of the repertoire.
A longstanding resource, this site has garnered almost 1 million visits. NYWC is a non-profit that champions the concert music of its NYC-area members, who also include former NYC residents such as Chen Yi. You can search the catalog by composer, publisher, instrumentation, and/or difficulty level.
Although the database includes only about 90 composers, it has the unusual feature of letting you search over 60 categories of instrumentation, for example flute quartet (3 results), solo brass instrument (8 results), or small chamber ensemble with narrator (6 works).
This catalog lists choral music which has received at least one substantial public performance and has been endorsed by a panel of conductors. You can search by language, season, accompaniment, performance time, or my favorite: by descriptive term like “DNA” or “vegetables.”
for teachers:
Music Theory Examples by Women
Many entries include scores and recordings. The site covers concepts from meter and scale all the way up through chromaticism and larger forms.
Do you teach band? This site provides band directors with various programs for middle school, high school, and beyond featuring diverse composers.
This site connects band directors with up-and-coming composers from underrepresented groups. The band directors can give the works a premiere, providing a valuable reference recording recording for the composer.