Music Library

Suggested Resources

Institute for Composer Diversity - Includes databases of both composers and works.

Music by Black Composers - directory of Black Composers available for commission and for research into contemporary classical music

The Composers Equity Project -  A Database of ALAANA, Women, and Gender Non-Conforming Composers

LGBTQ Composers - a resource for conductors, educators, performers, and scholars interested in the music of LGBTQ+ band composers

Women in Music - a clearinghouse for women composers, performers, and scholars

Database of Art Songs by Women Composers - search a dynamic database of women's art songs.

Diverse Composers of Wind Band Music - a spreadsheet of wind band music

Women Composer Index - search by artist or genre

Bassoon and Wind Quintet Music by Women, Non-binary Composers, and/or Composers of Color - spreadsheet of artists and works

Note: Adopted from UNCSA library guide, https://library.uncsa.edu/c.php?g=1001881&p=7255141

Locate Lists of Composers/Artists/Works on Websites

Google searches are great to find various lists of musicians from diverse backgrounds. Search for keywords such as "black composers," "female composers of color," "LGBT songwriters," "transgender musicians," or develop your own search terms. 

Once you locate names of specific musicians, search Google, YouTube, and the library catalog for each musician's name to find scores and recordings. 

• Music Theory Examples by Women

• Chamber Music America's Composer's Equity Project

  List of living chamber music composers who are African/Black, Latinx, Asian/South Asian, Arab/Middle Eastern, Native American, women, or gender non-conforming

• Repertoire - Women's Philharmonic Advocacy

  Links to various resources for identifying women composers of orchestral music

• World Music Central.org

  Check out the artist index for biographical entries, some discographies and bibliographies, for contemporary world music artists.

• African Diasporic Project  Their mission is create a repository of music, provide access to scores, encourage research, exploration and performance of new works and assist student competitors

• Wikipedia: Browse Category Lists

  Search Wikipedia for a specific type of musician (LGBT musicians; African-American female singer-songwriters) or browse through the category tree.
  Look under "musicians" to find songwriters; look under "composers" to find others