Happy International Women’s Day from the entire Ensemble Offspring team! We’re proudly a female-led, female-majority organisation consisting of 55% women across our core musicians, board and staff, and in recent years we have become especially dedicated to achieving gender equity in our music.
Our landmark 2017 season featured works entirely by female composers, and we have surpassed a 50% representation of women composers across each of our concert programs since then. Also in 2017 we inaugurated the annual Noisy Women Commission (previous recipients Fiona Hill, Elizabeth Younan, Nicole Murphy and Eve Klein), and we take pride in the recognition that both of our First Nations Composers in Residence have been women (Brenda Gifford 2020 and Nardi Simpson 2021).
Last year, our artistic director Claire Edwardes became the Australian Keychange Ambassador, a role which allows her to shine a light on the continued inequality in women’s leadership positions and programming for music organisations around the globe. This is a recent article from Germany which offers important statistical insight into the ongoing gender disparity in German arts organisations.
As part of our IWD celebrations, we’ve highlighted below some new and pre-existing works by female composers which you can experience at upcoming concerts. And this week, and every week, let us celebrate gender equity, diversity and the support of emerging artistic voices!
Avant Gardens 3: Trussed 20 March
Caroline Shaw – Boris Kerner (cello & percussion) (2012)
Kaija Saariaho – Ciel Étoilé (double bass & percussion) (1999)
Karen Tanaka – Song of Songs (cello solo) (1996)
Avant Gardens 4: Naturale 28 March
Maria Grenfell – Stings and Wings (marimba solo) (2021) WP
Now You Hear Her: Keychange Panel 31/3/21
Rhythms of Change Concert & Keychange Panel
Sizzle Festival 18 April
Hani Abdile & Jason Noble – The Rose (2021)
Mindy Meng Wang & Claire Edwardes – Mother (2021)
Jessica O’Donoghue/Alyx Dennison/Georgia Mooney
Megan Alice Clune – A Body of Time (2021) WP
The Surge Tour 15 May – 5 June
Felicity Wilcox – Tipping Point WP
Jessica Wells – Interludes WP