School of Music hosts International Women’s Day concert

Cardiff School of Music hosted a special concert on Tuesday 8 March to celebrate International Women’s Day, paying tribute to musical works written, directed, arranged and performed by women, and pieces where a female character takes centre stage.

The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is #BreakTheBias, helping to forge a gender-equal world and encourage people to challenge gender stereotypes, discrimination and bias.

Current and past composers were showcased, with genres including chamber music, art song, opera, folk song, jazz and musical theatre. With well-known and well-loved compositions alongside world premieres, the event was artistically diverse and inspiring.

Ani Hanson, an undergraduate student who performed at the concert, said: “Being a woman involved in the realm of jazz, it's impossible not to acknowledge the gender disparity among the musicians and the artists. I felt the concert was an important opportunity to showcase not only the wonderful music of Carole King but the amazing talent of the women around me.”

Alexandra Chen, an MA in Music student, said: “The concert was an excellent opportunity for female musicians to share their talents, have their works performed and remembered, and also in my case, make their debut as a composer! It also allowed participants to showcase the diversity of amazing works that the audience may not have realised were written by female musicians.”

Cameron Gardner, concert director, said: “The International Women's Day concert showcased the talents and dedication of our students in celebrating a cultural, social and political issue important to them. I felt honoured, as director, to help give them a platform and secure a near-capacity audience.”