Women Composers: Changing the Music World

By Ria Andriani

ABC Classic

Topic: Classical Music

Thursday, 28 May 2026, at 9:48 am

Women composers are making a big impact on the music world despite facing many challenges.

You might know famous composers like Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms.

What about women in classical music?

We want to know what you think is the greatest classical music of all time.

Many female composers have made significant contributions to music history.

Women have been composing music in secret, using family connections to publish their work, and fighting to get credit for their talents.

Medieval European women composers

Hildegard von Bingen was a famous female composer from medieval Europe.

She was a composer, brewer, and visionary who wrote many chants and a morality play.

Hildegard's chants are often performed in concerts around the world.

She was not the only woman composing music in medieval Europe.

Some troubadour music was composed by women, although many of their works have been lost.

Blanche of Castile, Queen of France, composed a song called Amours, u trop tart me sui pris.

Women making music in Renaissance and Baroque times

Francesca Caccini was a successful composer who surpassed her father's success.

Most female composers were related to powerful or respected men or were from noble families.

Francesca Caccini's father, Giulio Caccini, was a famous composer.

In 1614, Francesca Caccini was one of the highest-paid musicians, working for the Grand Duchess of Tuscany.

In 1618, Caccini published a collection of music called Il Primo libro delle musiche.

Most of Caccini's operas have been lost, except for The Liberation of Ruggiero.

Other female composers from the Renaissance and Baroque include Barbara Strozzi and Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre.

The women of the Classical and Romantic eras

You might know the music of Mozart, Mendelssohn, and Schumann.

The music world is now recognizing the contributions of women like Maria Anna Mozart, Fanny Mendelssohn, and Clara Schumann.

Their music is deep, beautiful, and virtuosic, just like their brothers' and husbands' music.

There were many other female composers during this time, and their music is being rediscovered and performed.

If you like Mozart, Mendelssohn, and Schumann, you should check out music by Marianna Martines and Louise Farrenc.

20th-century female composers

The turn of the 20th century was an exciting time for women, with the suffragette movement gaining momentum.

Ethel Smyth wrote a song for the suffragette movement called March of the Women.

Other composers like Cécile Chaminade and Amy Beach continued to compose music despite facing challenges.

Nadia Boulanger was a famous French composer, conductor, and teacher who pushed the boundaries of what women could achieve in music.

Boulanger was the first woman to conduct many major orchestras in the US and Europe.

She taught many famous musicians, including Daniel Barenboim and Quincy Jones.

Australian and First Nations women

Australian women have been making significant contributions to music for a long time.

Margaret Sutherland, Miriam Hyde, and Peggy Glanville-Hicks are celebrated as pioneers of Australian music.

Today, composers like Liza Lim and Ella Macens are writing beautiful music that is performed on stages around the world.

First Nations composers like Deborah Cheetham Fraillon are bringing ancient storytelling traditions into classical music.

Women making music for the screen

The screen industry has taken time to recognize women composers.

Only two women have won the Oscar for Best Original Score: Rachel Portman and Hildur Guðnadóttir.

Hildur Guðnadóttir won the Oscar for her score for Joker in 2020.

Australia has many award-winning screen composers, including Lisa Gerrard and Caitlin Yeo.

Women are also making waves in the video game music industry.

Yoko Shimomura's soundtrack for Street Fighter II helped shape arcade culture in the 1990s.

Today, composers like Yuka Kitamura and Jessica Curry are creating immersive worlds through their music.

Australian composers like Starling Tan and Belinda Coomes are bringing home-grown melodies to games.

Women are also contributing to the music of the Assassin's Creed series, including Sarah Schachner and Stephanie Economou.

Stephanie Economou won the first Grammy for video game music for Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök.

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Thursday, 28 May 2026, at 9:48 am

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