Library Guides: Music Library Guide: Remaking the Canon

2020 marks a long-delayed reckoning within the broader field of art music and music studies. Although many brilliant artists and scholars have been working for years to address the problematic silences within the traditional musical canon, it has always been felt to be difficult to find BIPOC composers and researchers and thus impossible to perform their works. The claim, however, is quickly being revealed for what it is, a false narrative born of a performing and academic culture that has a long history of actively building and perpetuating systems of oppression and exclusion (both knowingly and not).

Luckily, performer/scholar activists and allies are hard at work dismantling this false narrative. While hardly exhaustive, the resources on this page provide today's performers and researchers an entry into the musical riches of a truly diverse culture of art music.

Resources

African Diaspora Project
These growing database provides information of Black and African-American composers and their works. This resource is currently focused on art song with plans to expand into ensemble music.
Institute for Composer Diversity
The Institute for Composer Diversity is committed to the celebration, education, and advocacy of music created by composers from historically underrepresented genders, racial, ethnic, and cultural heritages, and sexual orientations as well as disabled composers.
The Daffodil Perspective
The Daffodil Perspective is a revolutionary new radio show based in London, UK, rewriting classical music history with a more accurate and gender balanced account. The Daffodil Perspective is showing how women fit into our current version of classical music history and exploring the stories of these women, their music and monumental achievements. Each episode features at least 50% of pieces and airtime by women composers.
The Black Music History Library
his digital library was born out of a need to make resources about Black music history as comprehensive and accessible as possible. It contains well over one thousand entries (and counting) in the form of books, articles, documentaries, series, radio segments, and podcasts about the Black origins of popular and traditional music, dating from the 18th century to the present day. These materials range from informal to scholarly, meaning there is something in the library for everyone.
Resources for Diversity in Early Music Repertoire
Compiled for the early music community by members and friends of EMA and the EMA Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access Taskforce.
Composer Diversity Collective
Our core membership is composers of diverse backgrounds, but we welcome all industry professionals who demonstrate a commitment to these goals in their hiring and mentoring practices.
Black Lives Matter - Select Articles from Exact Editions
Famous artists, musical movements and diversity issues.
Melanated Moments in Classical Music (a podcast)
Melanated Moments in Classical Music, a new podcast from Classical Music Indy, shines a spotlight on musical works composed by, for, and about Black people. Melanated Moments is hosted by international opera soprano Angela Brown and music sociologist Joshua Thompson
Classically Black (podcast)
Come join Dalanie and Katie as they talk all things classical music and being black in the profession. New episode every Monday!
Trilloquy (a podcast)
TRILLOQUY is more than just a podcast - it's an initiative working toward a complete systems change in the arts! With your very generous support, the team is able to share stories, lead conversations, and create content that shines a light on how music, "classical" and otherwise, can help shape a more equal and equitable society for everyone.