Great news!
Yhdenvertaisesti säveltäen (in English ”Equity in Composing”), a project focusing on equality issues on the field of contemporary art music composition is chosen to be a part of Making an Impact with Equality Acts program. The patron of the program is president Tarja Halonen.
In the past, a striking majority of the composers in the canon of Western art music have been men although women have always composed music as well. In recent decades the situation has been slowly developing to a more equal point, as more and more composers gaining international recognition have been women, not only men.
Still, it seems that there’s a great deal of work to be done for equality issues in the field of contemporary music on international level.
I’m delighted and honored to be a part of our stellar team behind Equity in Composing, together with composers Minna Leinonen and Riikka Talvitie, professor Heidi Partti and author and journalist Anu Ahola. Our aim is to make a positive impact on the stances and views on the profession of a composer and address gender and other equality issues on the field of contemporary art music. Our project is taking steps forward as we speak, so stay tuned for more news and information in the near future!
Equity in Composing is coordinated by CERADA (Center for Educational Research and Academic Development in the Arts of the University of Arts, Helsinki) in collaboration with Society of Finnish Composers, Music Finland and the Department of Composition and Music Theory of the Sibelius Academy of the University of Arts.
The aim for Making an Impact with Equality Acts program is to deepen and multiply the equality acts already made, and thus, in cooperation with different organizations, promote women’s rights and gender equality in the Finnish society. The project is coordinated by the National Council of Women of Finland and the Council for Gender Equality and funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture.