Boulanger Initiative Announces New Orchestral Curriculum by Female Composers

The curriculum release "Beyond the Box, Into the Barlines" focuses on orchestral repertoire by women from 1700 to the present day

The Boulanger Initiative (BI) was founded by Joy-Leilani Garbutt and Laura Colgate to promote music composed by women through performance, education, research, consulting, and commissions.

The organization creates resource material that helps musicians to discover new works by female composers. In line with that mission, BI will soon release "Beyond the Box, Into the Barlines - Women Composers Throughout History: Orchestra Edition."

Aimed at high school and early college students, this curriculum covers sixteen different women composers from all over the world and will introduce readers to overtures, symphonies, and other pieces of orchestral repertoire that have been previously overlooked. The works range from the eighteenth century right up to the present day.

On January 22 at 6:30 PM (ET), BI's Research Manager Dr. Caiti Beth McKinney will lead a virtual presentation that gives an overview of the curriculum document, as well as offering suggestions as to how teachers might bring about gender equity in their music history classrooms. You can sign up to attend the event here.

Teachers may also be interested in BI's other resources, including earlier releases in the Beyond the Box series.

"Boulanger Initiative has done more to identify and catalogue music by women than any other organization, and they are in a unique position to affect crucial change throughout the industry, and ensure that women’s voices remain heard by audiences around the world," said composer Jennifer Higdon.