Re-Composing Feminism: Australian women composers in the new millennium

In the age of postfeminism and fourth-wave feminism online, Australian women composers are theoretically able to “have it all,” however, the proportion of women in the occupation appears to have plateaued in recent years. In this thesis, I explore the multiple ways in which gender and feminism interact with practising Australian women composers. Feminist musicology has had a large impact on the Australian musicological scene, with theorists such as McClary and Macarthur bringing the subject of women in music to the fore in the 1990s, aiding efforts to advocate for reform on behalf of women composers. Additionally, third-wave feminist scholars such as Hartsock have argued for the study of women’s experiences within maledominated disciplines such as musicology. Using feminist standpoint theory as a foundation, this thesis examines the experiences of practising Australian women composers, finding multi-faceted and contradictory views of feminism and gender. A principal case study of composer Kate Moore examines how gender has shaped her career trajectory. Finally, a neo-Riemannian analysis of Moore’s work, Violins and Skeletons (2010), illustrates how gender may shape compositional strategies, speculating upon the fraught relationship women composers have with the conventions of Western art music because their work implicitly functions outside of, or against, the canon. This research highlights the importance of studying minority experiences in musicology, and how they relate to the dominant aesthetic and intellectual traditions

Australia’s microtonal modernist: The life and works of Elsie Hamilton (1880-1965)

This dissertation represents the most complete account to date of the life and works of Australian composer Elsie Hamilton (1880-1965). Through examining the theories of the Anthroposophical movement, I demonstrate how her music feeds from this belief system, and also demonstrate how Hamilton’s stance is congruent with the modernists of her generation. In addition, I position Hamilton’s modal system within the complex mathematics of Greek musical theory (as conceived by her collaborator, Kathleen Schlessinger). Finally, I provide modern editions and electronically manipulated sound files to all of Hamilton’s surviving compositions. Elsie Hamilton’s story is fascinating. This dissertation welcomes her into the canon of music history

Creating a career as a woman composer: Implications for music in higher education

Recent decades have seen gender and feminist research emerge as major fields of enquiry in musicology and to a far lesser extent, music education. While these fields have increased awareness of the issues confronting women and other marginalised groups, the pedagogical practices and curricular design that might support aspiring women composers are in urgent need of attention. This article reports from an international survey of women composers (n=225), who in western art music continue to experience a masculine bias that has its roots in the past. The findings in the survey were focused on income, work and learning, relationships and networks, and gender. Numerous composers surveyed noted the under-representation of music composed by women in their higher education curricula. They also described their unpreparedness for a career in music. The article explores the issue of gender in music composition and makes practical recommendations for a more gender balanced music curriculum in higher education

Regional Western Australia and Sound Art: A survey of works by Alan Lamb and Ross Bolleter

Regional Western Australia (WA) boasts a unique and ancient landscape that can be thought to offer boundless potential for future generations of sound artists. Artists such as Alan Lamb and Ross Bolleter have embraced this potential and explored the possibilities of regional Western Australia in their works. Lamb has built large-scale wire installations in outback areas, from Mt. Magnet in the Midwest to the Karri forest of the Great Southern, whilst Bolleter has collected and recorded pianos ruined from the harsh weather conditions of rural Western Australia. This paper will reflect upon the regional Western Australian landscape as a site for sound art through interviews with these composers and an examination of their output, as well as discussion of the influential \u27Sounds Outback\u27 festival, run by new music organization Tura New Music. It will also examine the environmental and social impact of sound works in rural areas, and the potential for sound a.rt to flourish in such areas of Western Australia

Music Screen-Reading: indicative results from two pilot studies

This paper discusses two pilot studies conducted by Lindsay Vickery and Talisha Goh, Screening the Score: Exploring the Potentials and Limitations of Presenting Music Notation on the iPad and Sight - Reading Polyphonic Musical Textures: a Pilot Eye-Movement Study. Vickery’s experiment sought to investigate the activity of the eyes of musicians while performing a variety of notations and score presentation types from a screen. Goh’s experiment explored sight-reading polyphonic keyboard music containing two, three, four and five voices, at a comfortable pace and with a click-track beat

An international perspective on managing career as a woman composer

International audienceWomen composers are an under-studied population within the creative workforce. This study reports on 225 surveys with women composers internationally. Using a human capital lens, we aim to shed more light on the nature of women composers' careers and their career trajectories, focusing more specifically on the way they work, how they enter the industry, how they build a reputation, and how they support and sustain their careers. The survey consisted of mostly open-ended questions alongside selected closed questions; data were analyzed using content analysis. Findings highlight the composers' relationships with performers, the importance of networks and social capital, the role of social media and online presence, family support and external funding, and the prevalence of multiple roles due to changing career aspirations. Implications of these findings indicate a need to better prepare women for a career in music composition, the need for more grant and funding options, th

Breathing through the pandemic: Performing arts challenges and responses to the mental health implications of COVID-19

This report presents research into the challenges faced by the performing arts sector in Western Australia (WA) during the sudden lockdowns that occurred because of the COVID-19 pandemic in early-to-mid 2020. The research includes a series of digital stories told by artists who were affected by COVID-19 lockdowns and provides both a historical snapshot as well as digital record of the challenges that were faced by performing artists in WA during the beginning of the pandemic

Female composers’ use of online communities of practice to build and support their careers

This article examines women composers’ use of online communities of practice to negotiate the traditionally masculine space of music composition while operating outside its hierarchical structures. We employed a mixed methods approach consisting of an online survey (n=225) followed by 27 semi-structured in-depth interviews with female composers to explore the concept and use of communities of practice. Content analysis was used to analyse the survey responses and interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to interpret respondents’ lived experiences as relayed in the interviews. The findings reveal that the online environment can be a supportive and safe space for female composers to connect with others and find support, feedback and mentorship, increase their visibility, and develop career agency through learning and knowledge acquisition. Communities of practice emerged as an alternative approach to career development for practicing female music workers and as a tool which could circumvent some of the enduring gendered challenges. The findings suggest that online communities of practice can have a positive impact on the career development and sustainability of women in male-dominated sectors such as composition