It’s been two years since Schott and I published our three-book series featuring music by women composers from over four centuries, Women Composers: A Graded Anthology for Piano. This publication has proved most popular, not only winning a Presto Music Award but, more importantly, reaching out to a new audience of pianists, whether they be professionals, students, teachers, or hobbyists. Since then, numerous books have appeared highlighting women composers, and it’s wonderful to see this ‘movement’ gaining traction around the world. My hope is that one day there will be as many women in every area of the workplace as there are men, and gender imbalance won’t even be a topic for discussion.
Recently, I was fortunate to be included in an uplifting blog post published on Musicroom’s website celebrating women in music education. You can read this post here. Heartened by this thoughtful article, I wanted to create my own collection of remarkable women, especially for International Women’s Day.
The following group of women are pianists, piano authors, writers, or composers, and all are connected to music education and, specifically, to the piano. These exceptional women, some of whom are well-known, have excelled in their field and have really inspired my work, so I’d like to thank them for their dedication and determination to succeed in a difficult, demanding profession. This list appears in alphabetical order.
Eleanor Alberga
Jamaican-born composer Eleanor Alberga began composing short pieces as a young girl. After studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London, she continued to amass a prolific output, and her works have been performed by some of the world’s most eminent ensembles and orchestras. She has won notable awards such as the Paul Hamlyn Award in 2019 and an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 2021. Her style combines colourful Caribbean and Latin accents, which bring it alive and make for compelling listening. I wanted to attend Eleanor’s composition class at Dartington Summer School a few years ago but wasn’t able to, unfortunately.
Also interested in music education, many of her piano pieces have been written with students in mind, and a piece commissioned by the Roald Dahl Foundation in 1984, ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’, has been widely performed in schools. I’m grateful for piano music such as ‘If the Silver Bird Could Speak’ (Spectrum, ABRSM: 1996), ‘Jamaican Medley’ (Alberga: 1983), and ‘For Whom’ (Spectrum, ABRSM: 2005), all of which demonstrate a unique voice.
Glenda Austin
American composer, arranger, pianist, and teacher Glenda Austin graduated from the University of Missouri (Columbia) with a bachelor’s degree in music education and a master’s degree in piano performance. Her compositions and arrangements provide an excellent resource for students and teachers; they can be seen and heard in piano music volumes and music festivals across the US, and they are also featured on the National Federation List. She writes music in all styles but is particularly interested in jazz and is a regular presenter and clinician.
What I have especially enjoyed over the past few years is Glenda’s dedication to her fans (she has many!) and her unwavering interest in music education. During lockdown, Glenda presented regular live broadcasts from her home or her local church, highlighting her own music, jazz standards, and plenty of interesting arrangements. These broadcasts, which run into hundreds, can be found on her YouTube channel; they capture her enthusiasm and zest for music perfectly.
Sherry Grant
Taiwanese-born and New Zealand-based musician Sherry Grant is a relatively new addition to my list. I met her online just last year, but her energy and devotion to music and music education are impressive. Sherry is a ‘cellist, pianist, poet, and artistic director who studied at Auckland University and the Royal Northern College of Music in the UK.
She has single-handedly organised and arranged countless music festivals involving a whole host of musicians; some festivals have been online and others live. Her writing extends to over 4000 poems, which are often incorporated into her performances. Words and music are a winning combination! Frequently highlighting the work of female composers and writers, last year she celebrated the life and work of New Zealand writer Katherine Mansfield with a three-day online festival. I participated in this festival, which was a lot of fun. At the festival, Sherry performed a recital devoted to the music of female composers, also featuring compositions from my anthology, and interviewed me on Zoom for the occasion.
Elena Kats-Chernin
Russian-born Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin is a fine example of a female composer who is totally absorbed and connected to and with her work. Born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Elena moved to Australia with her family as a teenager and, after a period of study in Berlin, now lives and works in Sydney. Her music traverses almost every genre—opera, ballet, orchestral, film scores—but it’s the piano music that I particularly enjoy, and it’s often included on various piano exam syllabuses for students to savour, too. Elena has won numerous awards for her work, from the AO in 2019 (Officer of the Order of Australia) to the Artistic Excellence Award at the Australian Women in Music Awards (2022).
I appreciate how she writes predominantly tonal music (and has been doing so for many years) at a time when composers often feel the need to write in a less accessible style; some might say this style has been influenced by repetitive structures, minimalism, or the Minimalist movement. For those yet to enjoy her work, take a listen to Elena’s arguably most well-known work, the ballet ‘Wild Swans’ (2004), and also the gorgeous piano ‘Meditations of Eric Satie: Unsent Love Letters’ (Boosey & Hawkes: 2017).
Karen Marshall
British author, teacher, and educator Karen Marshall wrote the article that inspired this post. Karen is a leading educator with over 20 pedagogical piano books to her name. She is a specialist in teaching the Kodály method and is a member of the British Dyslexia Association’s Music Committee, and she also writes blog posts for Music Room’s website as well as many other journals and magazines.
Karen’s books include the Get Set Piano Method books (Collins: 2013), written with composer Heather Hammond; the award-winning Piano Trainer Series (Faber: 2019); and she also writes and gives lectures for the ABRSM, working with their professional development team. Such dedication to young students and students with special needs is both extremely important and valuable.
Polina Nazaykinskaya
Russian-born composer and conductor Polina lives and works in New York. She studied composition at Tchaikovsky Conservatory College and the Yale School of Music, and she has been awarded a Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans. Polina has written music in a variety of genres, but she is renowned for her ballet music and has worked with many leading choreographers. It was through her captivating ballet ‘Nostalghia’, choreographed by Pascal Rioult and premiered at the Joyce Theatre in New York in 2018, that I became acquainted with her music.
Her original piano works contain a similar emotionally driven quality to that found in the ballets; such works as ‘Emily Suite’ (2023), ‘Anticipation’ (2020), and ‘Sparks’ (2020) demonstrate an expressivity that I admire in modern compositions, and I’ve found her music both inspiring and influential when writing my music, too. Currently a lecturer of composition at Brooklyn College Conservatory, Polina is committed to educating the next generation.
Lucy Parham
British pianist, teacher, and writer Lucy is a popular artist who has enjoyed a successful career as a concert pianist. But she has also created an innovative concert series, is a committed piano professor (teaching at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama), and has written articles focusing on piano practice for Pianist Magazine for many years. Lucy came to the public’s attention in 1984, when she won the piano class of the BBC’s ‘Young Musician of the Year’ competition. Since then, she has developed a thriving career, playing with some of the world’s greatest orchestras, frequently broadcasting as both pianist and presenter on BBC Radio 3 and 4, and acting as a jury member at many national and international competitions.
What has inspired me is the way Lucy has introduced and developed her wonderful concerts combining words and music; she teams up with renowned actors to present evenings featuring specific composers and their lives. An enigmatic, irresistible combination, in my opinion. Her programmes, Beloved Clara (featuring Clara Schumann), Liszt—an Odyssey of Love, and Elegie – Rachmaninov, and A Heart in Exile, to name a few, can be enjoyed on disc as well as in the concert hall. Actors such as Henry Goodman, Juliet Stevenson, Harriet Walter, Dominic West, Simon Callow, Timothy West, and Alistair McGowen have all presented Lucy’s words and music concerts, and they are well worth checking out.
Susan Tomes
Scottish pianist and writer Susan Tomes has written seven text books focusing on all aspects of the piano, from repertoire and piano practice to rehearsing in chamber groups and performance. I have read four volumes and will certainly look forward to reading her latest tome, Women and the Piano: A History in 50 Lives (Yale University Press). Susan, who was a member of the chamber group Domus for many years, as well as the Gaudier Ensemble and the Florestan Trio, has made well over 50 recordings and has played all around the world. She was the first woman to study music at King’s College, Cambridge, and has won an impressive array of awards for her work, including the Royal Philharmonic Society Award.
I’m inspired by her dedication to playing the piano; you only need to read her sometimes harrowing accounts of her time working with Domus in the illuminating Beyond the Notes (The Boydell Press, 2004) to appreciate the sacrifices and sheer determination required to succeed as a chamber music pianist working as part of an ensemble. If you fancy a really interesting repertoire read, get hold of a copy of The Piano: A History in 100 Pieces (Yale University Press, 2021) – you won’t be disappointed.
Valerie Tryon
British-born pianist Valerie Tryon moved to Canada in 1971. Educated at the Royal Academy of Music, where she was the youngest student ever admitted, Valerie won a prize at the Liszt Competition in Budapest, the Harriet Cohen Medal, and in 1986 the Hungarian Minister of Culture awarded her the Ferenc Liszt Medal of Honour for “outstanding achievement” in the interpretation of Liszt’s music. In 2017, she was appointed a member of the Order of Canada for her work as ‘an educator and builder of classical music culture.’
I met Valerie around 25 years ago at the American Liszt Society’s ‘Great Romantics Festival’ held in Hamilton, Ontario, when I was invited to play as a young pianist. To hear Valerie’s solo opening night recital was an inspiration. A champion of Romantic music, her repertoire is vast and eclectic, and she has made over 50 recordings, encompassing concerti, chamber music, and solo music. In 1976, she became Associate Professor of Music at McMaster University; in 1980, the post of Artist-in-Residence at McMaster was created especially for her. Valerie is most supportive and encouraging to young pianists, and I had the good fortune to witness this during the festival.
Ng Ying Ying
Malaysian author and composer Ng Ying Ying is an important voice in music education. Co-founder and author of Poco Studio, an educational music publishing company that was established in 2004, Ying graduated from the Conservatory of Music and Drama in Dublin, majoring in music teaching for children. I first met her at the UCSI conference held at the university in Kuala Lumpur in 2017. Her passion was clear, and Poco books are now trailblazing their way across the world.
Ying publishes an innovative series of pedagogical methods that continue to inspire children (and their teachers). Popular titles include: Music Theory for Young Children (2004–2005), Poco Piano for Young Children, with Margaret O’Sullivan Farrell (2008–2010), Sight Reading for Young Pianists (2006), Music Theory for Young Musicians (2006–2008), and Theory Drills for Young Children (2012–2013). Their colourful covers appear in music shops everywhere, especially in the Far East, and they are a testament to Ying’s determination and dedication.
