Jenna Ross
|
March 10, 2018

Minnesota music scene finally amplifying women composers: 'It's past time'

Jenna Ross
|
March 10, 2018

Minnesota music scene finally amplifying women composers: 'It's past time'

Jenna Ross
|
March 10, 2018

Minnesota music scene finally amplifying women composers: 'It's past time'

Dead white men still dominate classical music.

Despite growing numbers of female composers, symphony orchestras and opera companies still announce seasons overflowing with Beethoven and Bach, Puccini and Bizet. One stark statistic: Women wrote just 1.3 percent of the music performed by 85 major American orchestras last season, a Baltimore Symphony Orchestra survey shows.

Many Minnesota institutions — smaller, trendsetting ensembles, in particular — do better. They’re funding, featuring and staging works penned by women. This week, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra is putting on a festival bursting with female composers, historical and living. Skylark Opera Theatre is staging the regional premiere of “As One,” by composer Laura Kaminsky, which is quickly becoming the country’s hottest chamber opera.

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