The International Alliance for Women in Music (IAWM) is an international

membership organization A membership organization is any organization that allows people or entities to subscribe, and often requires them to pay a membership fee or "subscription". Membership organizations typically have a particular purpose, which involves connecting pe ...

of women and men dedicated to fostering and encouraging the activities of women in

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...

, particularly in the areas of musical activity, such as composing,

performing A performance is an act of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Management science In the work place ...

, and

research Research is "creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness ...

, in which

gender discrimination Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers primar ...

is a

historic History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

and ongoing concern. In the U.S. the organization operates as a 501(c)3 non-profit. The IAWM engages in efforts to increase the programming of music by female composers, to combat discrimination against female musicians, including as symphony

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

members, and to include accounts of the contributions of women musicians in university music

curricula In education, a curriculum (; : curricula or curriculums) is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view ...

and

textbooks A textbook is a book containing a comprehensive compilation of content in a branch of study with the intention of explaining it. Textbooks are produced to meet the needs of educators, usually at educational institutions. Schoolbooks are textbook ...

History

The IAWM was formed in 1995 from the merger of three organizations that arose during the women’s rights movements of the 1970s to combat inequitable treatment of women in music: (1) the International League of Women Composers (ILWC), founded in 1975 by Nancy Van de Vate to create and expand opportunities for women composers of music; (2) the International Congress on Women in Music (ICWM), founded in 1979 by Jeannie Pool to form an organizational basis for women-in-music conferences and meetings; and (3) American Women Composers (AWC), Inc., founded in 1976 by Tommie Ewart Carl to promote music by women composers. AWC created a library of music scores at

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , presi ...

, published a journal, the AWC News/Forum, and produced concerts and recordings of music by American women.

Current activities

Through the efforts of its approximately 400 members, the IAWM continues the work of its parent organizations to achieve its

cultural Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.T ...

and educational

mission Mission (from Latin ''missio'' "the act of sending out") may refer to: Organised activities Religion *Christian mission, an organized effort to spread Christianity *Mission (LDS Church), an administrative area of The Church of Jesus Christ of ...

gender equity Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing d ...

. The IAWM sponsors an annua
Search for New Music
by women. Prizes are offered in a number of categories, and the IAWM presents the winning pieces in public concert. The IAWM also sponsors the '
Pauline Alderman Award
'' for

musicological Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...

and

journalistic Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...

works on women in music. The ''Journal of the IAWM'', published in four issues per year, includes research about women in music, continuing the tradition of the AWC News/Forum and the ILWC Journal. The ''Journal of the IAWM'' is a first hand resource on information of women composers and has been cited as such on research articles concerning women composers. Another journal founded by the IAWM, ''Women & Music: A Journal of Gender and Culture''," is now edited and published by the

University of Nebraska Press The University of Nebraska Press, also known as UNP, was founded in 1941 and is an academic publisher of scholarly and general-interest books. The press is under the auspices of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, the main campus of the Unive ...

. IAWM Congresses feature

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...

performances A performance is an act of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Management science In the work place ...

, and

research papers Academic publishing is the subfield of publishing which distributes academic research and scholarship. Most academic work is published in academic journal articles, books or theses. The part of academic written output that is not formally publ ...

about women in music. IAWM members have been active in broadening the music curriculum at colleges and universities, by offering courses dedicated to the roles of women in music.

Advocacy Advocacy is an activity by an individual or group that aims to influence decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to influence public policy, laws and budgets by using fac ...

by the International Alliance for Women in Music has contributed to the inclusion of women composers in college

music history Music history, sometimes called historical musicology, is a highly diverse subfield of the broader discipline of musicology that studies music from a historical point of view. In theory, "music history" could refer to the study of the history o ...

textbooks. In another effort toward ending

, the IAWM led successful boycotts of the American concerts of the

Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra The Vienna Philharmonic (VPO; german: Wiener Philharmoniker, links=no) is an orchestra that was founded in 1842 and is considered to be one of the finest in the world. The Vienna Philharmonic is based at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria. Its ...

in the 1990s. The IAWM plays an important role in the careers of many women composers.

Sponsored awards

IAWM sponsors several awards to recognize composers and scholars. What was a single award annually has developed into several distinct categories based on genre or composer identity. The organization's '
Search for New Music
'' encompasses all of these awards. Notable composers who have received IAWM new music awards include

Jennifer Higdon Jennifer Elaine Higdon (born December 31, 1962) is an American composer of contemporary classical music. She has received many awards, including the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Music for her Violin Concerto and three Grammy Award for Best Contemp ...

Andrea Clearfield Andrea Clearfield (born 1960) is an American composer of contemporary classical music. Regularly commissioned and performed by ensembles in the United States and abroad, her works include music for orchestra, chorus, soloists, chamber ensembles, ...

Cynthia Folio Cynthia Folio (born December 24, 1954) is an American composer, flutist, and music theorist. She is a professor of Music Studies at Temple University, where she was honored with the Creative Achievement Award in 2012 and the Lindback Award for Dis ...

, Mary Jane Leach,

Victoria Bond Victoria Ellen Bond (born 6 May 1945) is an American conductor and composer in New York City. Early life Victoria Bond was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of operatic bass and medical doctor Philip Bond (a vocalist with the New York ...

Anne LeBaron Alice Anne LeBaron (b. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States, May 30, 1953) is a United States composer and harpist. Anne LeBaron holds a B.A. in music from the University of Alabama (1974), an M.A. in music from the State University of New Yor ...

, Nina C. Young,

Paula Matthusen Paula Matthusen (born 1978) is an American composer of acoustic and electro-acoustic music and educator. She is a recipient of the Rome Prize from the American Academy in Rome. Biography Paula Matthusen was born in 1978 in Arizona. She attended ...

Li Yiding Li, li, or LI may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Landscape Institute, a British professional body for landscape architects * Leadership Institute, a non-profit organization located in Arlington, Virginia, US, that teaches "political tec ...

Dorothy Chang Dorothy Chang (born 1970) is an American-born composer and a professor of music at the University of British Columbia. Early life and education Chang was born in Winfield, Illinois. Her parents' families had fled to Taiwan from China during the Chi ...

, Stacy Garrop, Jeeyoung Kim, HyeKyung Lee, and Patricia Morehead. The Ruth Anderson Commission Prize is awarded to a new sound installation with electro-acoustic music. The Christine Clark/Theodore Front Prize is for a large chamber or orchestral work and may include voice. The Miriam Gideon Prize is for a vocal work with 1-5 instruments by a composer at least 50 years of age. The Libby Larsen Prize is for a work in any genre by a composer who is currently enrolled in school. The Pauline Oliveros New Genre Prize is for works incorporating innovative form or style, such as improvisation, multimedia, use of non-traditional notation, open instrumentation, or new performance practices. The PatsyLu Prize is for classical art music in any form by black women and/or lesbians. The Portland Jazz Composers Ensemble Prize is for a jazz composition of any duration for small ensemble to big band (4-17 instruments). The Alex Shapiro Prize is for a large wind ensemble composition. The Judith Lang Zaimont Prize is for an extended instrumental composition—large solo or chamber works—by a composer at least 30 years old whose music has not yet been recorded or published. The '
Pauline Alderman Awards
'' were initiated in 1985 by the International Congress on Women in Music to honor the pioneering musicologist Pauline Alderman. They are awarded biannually and recognize the authors of books, articles, reference materials and other publications for their excellence in scholarship about women in music. Winners of the 2017 awards include Laurel Parsons and Brenda Ravenscroft (Book Prize); Gurminder Kaul Bhogal (Article Prize).

References

External links

*IAWM Websit
IAWM , The International Alliance for Women in Music
( {{Authority control Women classical composers Women in music

History

Current activities

Sponsored awards

See also

References

External links