Music Well – Dosia McKay, Composer, Painter, Writer

Reflections on Art and Life

Women Composers in the 21st Century

Following is a list of women composers who are living (have lived) in the 21st century. This compilation focuses on composers of contemporary classical (art) and experimental music written for acoustic or electronic instruments or voice. All are graduates of professional music schools and/or have demonstrated significant achievements in the field of music composition. The list will be periodically updated. Your suggestions are welcome.

Follow this Spotify playlist to listen to their music.

Australia
Melissa Dunphy | Liza Lim | Rachel Merton | Kate Neal

Austria
Olga Neuwirth

Argentina
Claudia Montero

Bosnia and Herzegovina
Svjetlana Bukvich

Bulgaria
Dobrinka Tabakova

Canada
Rose Bolton | Allison Cameron | Emily Doolittle | Clio Em | Vivian Fung | Alice Ping Yee Ho | Emilie LeBel | Hope Lee | Nicole Lizée | Alexina Louie | Diana McIntosh | Jocelyn Morlock | Kelly-Marie Murphy | Tawnie Olson | Monica Pearce | Caitlin Smith | Ana Sokolović | Ann Southam | Anna Webber

China
Yu-Hui Chang | Alice Ping Yee Ho | Wang Jie | Mei-Fang Lin | Du Yun

Cuba
Ileana Perez Velazquez

Denmark
Hanne Orvad

Estonia
Ester Mägi | Mirjam Tally | Helena Tulve | Liis Viira

Finland
Kaija Saariaho

France
Elżbieta Sikora

Germany
Gloria Coates

Great Britain
Kerry Andrew | Sally Beamish | Charlotte Bray | Anna Clyne | Stef Conner | Tansy Davies | Emily Doolittle | Dani Howard | Nicola LeFanu | Anna Meredith | Kate Moore | Katharine Norman | Anne-Marie O’Farrell | Rebecca Saunders | Errollyn Wallen | Judith Weir

Iceland
Hafdis Bjarnadottir | Hildur Guonadottir | Anna Thorvaldsdottir

Ireland
Linda Buckley | Rhona Clarke | Deirdre Gribbin | Sadie Harrison | Deirde McKay | Jane O’Leary | Jennifer Walshe

Israel
Chaya Czernowin

Italy
Clara Iannotta

Japan
Mari Kimura | Sayo Kosugi | Aya Nishina

Korea
Unsuk Chin | Chrissy Seunghee Lee | HyeKyung Lee | Okkyung Lee

Latvia
Selga Mence | Santa Ratniece | Indra Rise | Evija Skuke

New Zealand
Dorothy Ker | Gillian Whitehead

Poland
Anna Ignatowicz | Dosia McKay | Marta Ptaszyńska | Elżbieta Sikora | Agnieszka Stuglińska | Ewa Trębacz

Portugal
Andreia Pinto-Correia

Puerto Rico
Angélica Negrón

Russia
Lera Auerbach | Sonya Belousova | Nataliya Medvedovskaya | Sofia Gubaidulina | Alla Pavlova

Serbia
Ana Sokolović | Aleksandra Vrebalov | Isidora Žebeljan

Ukraine
Galina Grigorjeva | Alla Pavlova

USA
Beth Anderson | Kati Agócs | Adrienne Albert | Lera Auerbach | Katherine Balch | Julianna Barwick | Lisa Bielawa | Elizabeth Brown | Svjetlana Bukvich | Madelyn Byrne | Andrea Clearfield | Phyllis Chen | Mary Ellen Childs | Gloria Coates | Margaret Collins Stoop | Emily Cooley | Emma Lou Diemer | Alexandra du Bois | Melissa Dunphy | Roshanne Etezady | Suzanne Farrin | Ruby Fulton | Vivian Fung | Alexandra Gardner | Erin Gee | Cindy Giron | Molly Herron | Jennifer Higdon | Katherine Hoover | Susie Ibarra | Wang Jie | Molly Joyce | Laura Kaminsky | Sarah Kirkland Snider | Mary Kouyoumdjian | Kristen Kuster | Libby Larsen | Hannah Lash | Chris Lastovicka | Tania León | Sarah Lipstate | Annea Lockwood | Loren Loiacono | Stefanie Lubkowski | Caroline Mallonee | Theresa Martin | Paula Matthusen | Missy Mazzoli | Dosia McKay | Jessica Meyer | Meredith Monk | Jessie Montgomery | Martha Mooke | Odeya Nini | Pauline Oliveros | Caroline Park | Jessica Pavone | Ileana Perez Velazquez | Angelique Poteat | Paola Prestini | Marta Ptaszyńska | Gity Razaz | Jessica Rudman | Kathryn Salfelder | Eleonor Sandresky | Alex Shapiro | Caroline Shaw | Arlene Sierra | Christine Southworth | Stella Sung | Tina Tallon | Asha Tamirisa | Augusta Reed Thomas | Joan Tower | Ewa Trębacz | Leaha Maria Villarreal | Orianna Webb | Christina Whitten Thomas | Melinda Wagner | Julia Wolfe | Theresa Wong | Rain Worthington | Bora Yoon | Ellen Taaffe Zwilich

Uzbekistan
Polina Medyulyanova

Venezuela
Manena Contreras

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One comment on “Women Composers in the 21st Century

  1. Zachary James
    February 23, 2016

    Opera Ithaca is committed to regularly presenting works written by women. Last year we presented IL SOGNO by Kristin Hevner Wyatt, this year BILLY BLYTHE by Bonnie Montgomery and next year will present an opera by Kamala Sankaram. All three of these women are US composers. Thanks for maintaining this list!

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