ABC Classic’s Festival of Female Composers Returns for Tenth Anniversary

ABC Classic, Australia’s classical music radio station, is holding its annual Festival of Female Composers from March 6 to March 8, 2026, marking the tenth anniversary of the initiative.

The festival was launched in 2016 following a report in September 2015 that music by female composers constituted just 2.2% of the station’s airtime.

The event, part of the network’s International Women’s Day programming, features three ‘super concerts’ of live recordings by female artists. On March 8, Swedish vocal quartet Åkervinda will perform live in the studio, and the ‘Hilda-thon’ will return, playing four hours of music by 12th-century composer Hildegard von Bingen.

ABC Jazz is also participating with a new compilation from its ‘Women of Jazz’ series, featuring music from Australian women-led projects. Throughout March, ABC Jazz programming will focus on vocalist Carmen McRae and Artist in Residence Hinano Fujisaki.

Data on Representation

Radio and Industry Data

For the 2024-25 financial year, ABC Classic reported that music by female composers accounted for 15.7% of its airtime and 19% of overall tracks played—a dramatic rise from 2.2% a decade earlier.

Over the past year, the station broadcast music by 1,294 women and non-binary composers. Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin was the station’s most-played female composer and the eighth most-played composer overall.

The Australian Music Centre reported a 30% increase in the hire of parts for female-identifying composers over the last five years. APRA AMCOS reported a year-on-year growth of nearly 5% in women and gender-diverse music creators joining the organization.

Orchestral Programming Data

Data from the Tenth Muse Initiative, which tracks programming diversity for Australian state orchestras, shows that in 2025:

Music by women comprised 14.5% of programmed works, a 2.6% increase from 11.9% in 2024.

This marked the first time that works by women surpassed programmed works by Mozart, Beethoven, and Bach combined, which stood at 13.1% in 2025.

The analysis found variation among orchestras:

• Melbourne Symphony Orchestra: 21% works by female composers
• Sydney Symphony Orchestra: 8 works by women out of 127 total (6.3%)

Challenges in Recording and Performance

Veteran ABC Classic sound engineer Virginia Read stated that historically, works by Australian, living, or female composers were often considered “token” inclusions and were not always prioritized or well-prepared by musicians.

She noted that investment in works by living Australian female composers has produced successes, including the use of Elena Kats-Chernin’s “Eliza Aria” in a UK advertisement.

Concerns have been raised about the integration of female-composed works in live performances. According to reporting by ABC Classic, works by female composers are frequently programmed for special events, such as International Women’s Day concerts, rather than general season programming.

The average length of music by women played in orchestral concerts in 2025 was 20 minutes or less. Anna Klein’s 12-minute overture “This Midnight Hour” was the most frequently performed work by a female composer in 2025.

ABC Classic 100: Listener Poll

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor was voted number 1 in the ABC Classic 100 listener poll for the fifth time (2024, 2020, 2016, 2010). The countdown has been held annually since 2001.

The poll also profiles historical female composers. Notable figures cited include:

• Hildegard von Bingen, a 12th-century abbess who wrote approximately 77 chants
• Francesca Caccini, who published “Il Primo libro delle musiche” in 1618
• Clara Wieck Schumann and Fanny Mendelssohn from the Romantic era
• 20th-century composers Ethel Smyth, Nadia Boulanger, and Florence Price
• Australian and First Nations composers Margaret Sutherland, Deborah Cheetham Fraillon, and Nardi Simpson
• Screen composers Rachel Portman, Hildur Guðnadóttir, and Yoko Shimomura

Efforts to Increase Representation

Several independent projects are promoting female composers:

• Flautist Eliza Shephard initiated “March of the Women” in 2020, releasing daily recordings of music by women each March.
• Percussionist Claire Edwardes released her seventh album “Dual Attractor,” featuring works by female composers globally.
• ABC Classic’s multi-year “Women of Note” album series has highlighted the music of 63 Australian female composers across eight volumes.

Calls for Broader Programming Strategies

Some voices in the sector have called for broader programming strategies. According to ABC Classic reporting, some advocates argue that orchestras should explore works by historical female composers such as Louise Farrenc (19th century) and Barbara Strozzi (17th century), rather than relying solely on new commissions.

Others have urged orchestras to program more works by living composers generally.

A superstition in classical music known as the ‘Curse of the Ninth’—the notion that composers die after completing nine symphonies—was noted in the reporting but was dismissed by ABC Classic presenter Vanessa Hughes as unsupported by evidence.