10 PIECES BY WOMEN WHO ARE STILL MAKING HISTORY!
This list highlights ten incredible pieces composed by women who continue to push boundaries and redefine classical music with their groundbreaking compositions, innovative styles, and deeply personal works. From the rich folkloric sounds of Gabriela Lena Frank to the cinematic brilliance of Michiru Oshima, these women are making history in real time!
Angélica Negrón - Marejada
This incredibly personal piece by Angélica Negrón was commissioned for Fifty for the Future: The Kronos Learning Repertoire, a project of the Kronos Performing Arts Association. The field recordings used in this piece come from the waves at Seven Seas Beach in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, and the birds from La Jungla Beach in Guánica, Puerto Rico.
Phamie Gow - Rain
In this Celtic dreamscape, composer and harpist Phamie Gow weaves together uplifting melodies with a touch of mysticism!
Nkeiru Okoye - Charlotte Mecklenburg
Nkeiru Okoye masterfully blends her own reflections with extensive research, incorporating melodies from both familiar and lesser-known folk traditions. With a subtle nod to Aaron Copland and the early 20th-century movement toward a distinctly “American” sound, Charlotte Mecklenburg paints a vivid, symphonic portrait of the city and its ever-changing story.
Karen Briggs - Solo Performance
During Yanni’s legendary Live at the Acropolis concert in 1993, composer and violinist Karen Briggs delivered one of the most jaw-dropping violin solos ever recorded. As the founder of the Contempo Orchestra, she’s no stranger to commanding the stage—but in this clip, she doesn’t just play the violin, she makes it cry.
Eleanor Alberga - Nightscape
In this video, Eleanor Alberga discusses the influences behind her piece Nightscape.
Gabriela Lena Frank - Coqueteos
In this clip, experience the flirtatious and festive love song by Gabriela Lena Frank, interpreted by our very own Haven String Quartet, which is both bold and filled with harmonic expression!
Nokuthula Ngwenyama - Sonora Storm for Solo Viola
In this video, violist and composer of Ndebele and Japanese descent, Nokutula Ngwenyama, premieres her composition at the Red Rocks Music Festival.
Michiru Oshima - Year One In The North - A Miracle
This epic composition was written for the Japanese film Year One in the North (starring Ken Watanabe). Performed by the Moscow International Symphonic Orchestra, A Miracle is considered one of her greatest pieces.
Anna Clyne - Within Her Arms
Conducted by Elim Chan, an ensemble of Philharmonia string players brings Anna Clyne’s Within Her Arms to life in a deeply moving performance. This achingly beautiful elegy, dedicated to Clyne’s mother, is a meditation on grief and the search for solace—every note carrying the weight of loss and love. Filmed in the Royal Festival Hall as part of a streamed concert, this piece is a stunning tribute to memory and the emotions that linger long after.
CarolIne Shaw - Blueprint
Blueprint, composed for the incredible Aizuri Quartet, takes its title from this beautiful blue woodblock printing tradition as well as from that familiar standard architectural representation of a proposed structure: the blueprint.