Black Women Composers

Starting in the Fall of 2020, the ASU Music Library commenced work on the Black Women Composers Project.  As planned, this initiative will afford an opportunity for the students, faculty and the Arizona State University community, to discover, study, perform, and hear works that have a rich history in the annals of the world of music.  Represented are important Black Women Composers and their compositions dating from the 1930s to the present day.  Over 160 newly available scores have been added to the existing collection and, in an ongoing process, new materials will be added as they become available.

The fifteen composers found in this growing collection include: students of the great French composer and teacher, Nadia Boulanger (teacher of Aaron Copland); Juilliard Graduates; a twice-awarded Guggenheim Fellow; the 2017 recipient of the ASCAP Leonard Bernstein Award for composition; and a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for services to music. 

Scores include Symphonies (full scores), Operas (full scores and vocal scores), Choral Works (full scores), Vocal Music, and Chamber Music.  Please note that the musical scores, although they have arrived at ASU, are still being processed, but they will gradually make their way into the music collection.

The goal of the project is to shine a light on the important work and accomplishments of Black Women Composers, and especially to provide a path to exploration for students of the ASU Herberger School of Music, Dance and Theatre.