An annotated catalog of flute music by female composers between 1988 and 2021

In recent years, musical institutions have begun to reexamine and challenge their habits of programming historically white male-dominated repertoire in the interest of achieving greater diversity and inclusion. These efforts, however, are hindered by a lack of resources for discovering repertoire by women, a historically underrepresented group within the Western classical music canon. This study advocates for the discovery and performance of women’s music within the context of flute solo performance by providing a catalog of flute music by women composers.

Educational institutions and flute associations have started to adjust their programming decisions to include more female composers, but flutists could benefit from a resource which features the existing array of repertoire for all proficiencies by women and promotes the work of living women composers. This catalog includes works composed within the last thirty-three years, an appendix of older works that have been newly transcribed or published, and four short essays highlighting Valerie Coleman, Katherine Hoover, Shulamit Ran, and Yuko Uebayashi, composers who provide a frame of reference for the experiences and success of women composers.

Works featured within the catalog include solo works for the flute, piccolo, alto flute, and bass flute as well as chamber works limited to piano accompaniment and/or electronics. The catalog is supplemented by hyperlinks that allow for easy navigation and indexes organized by instrumentation and geographical region. This study aims to provide a resource for finding works by female composers, encourage the performance of works by living female composers, and inspire flutists to continue to diversify their repertoire.