Library : Music: Underrepresented Composers

Music by Underrepresented Composers

Here are some online resources that can help you locate works by underrepresented composers. The orange padlocks indicate that most of these are open access resources! Please let your Music Librarian, Christopher Bruhn, know if there is a work that you would like us to purchase for the library.

...and we were heard
Includes databases of wind band and orchestral music by diverse composers.
Black Music History Library
A register of books, articles, documentaries, series, podcasts and more about the Black origins of traditional and popular music dating from the 17th century to present day.
Boulanger Initiative Database
Catalog of over 8,000 works by 1,200 women and gender-marginalized composers.
CelloBello
The "Repertoire" tab includes links to databases of cello works by women composers, Black composers, and Latin American composers.
Chamber Music America: The Composers Equity Project
List of ALAANA, women, and gender non-conforming composers with links to their websites.
Chamber Works by Women featuring the Trumpet
List of almost 40 works compiled by Diana Ambache.
Donne: The Big List of Women Composers
Listing of over 5,000 women composers, searchable by century, genre, and location.
Institute for Composer Diversity
Includes databases of composers, instrumental works and art songs, and choral works.
Kassia
Database of art songs by women composers.
The Living Composers Project
A database of living composers and their works, organized by composers' last names and by their country of origin.
Maestra Timelines
Historical timelines of nonbinary people and women who have worked in musical theater both on and off Broadway, and their works.
Many Many Women
An index of over 1,000 composers, improvisers, and global soundmakers.
Mexican Repertoire Collection at Dartmouth
A collection of perusal scores and recordings representing music by Mexican and Mexican American composers for a wide range of instruments and ensembles. This is a project of the Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth College.
Music by Black Composers
Indexes of works organized by instrumentation, along with timelines, a living composer directory, educational materials, a bibliography, and a discography.
The Music in The Music of Black Americans
Digital links to the musical works discussed in Eileen Southern's landmark study The Music of Black Americans, first published in 1971. From the Loeb Music Library at Harvard University.
No Broken Links
Solo and chamber repertoire for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone, and horn, focusing on the work of women, transgender & gender non-conforming individuals, and/or Black, Indigenous, or persons of color.
A Seat at the Piano
Extensive list of piano works by underrepresented composers.
Sphinx Catalog of Latin-American Cello Works
There are more than 2,000 entries on this list compiled by the Sphinx Organization.
Sphinx Catalog of Latin-American Viola Works
There are more than 800 entries on this list compiled by the Sphinx Organization.
Sphinx Catalog of Latin-American Violin Works
There are more than 1,500 entries on this list compiled by the Sphinx Organization.
Women Composers Collection
Over 3,000 works held by the University of Michigan Music Library and made available by HathiTrust.