Empowering Women in Music

Finding representation in the professional world that mirrors one’s own identity is a profoundly meaningful experience. Growing up, I was fortunate to have a strong female role model in my mother, a dedicated police officer. However, when I began my musical studies at the collegiate level, I quickly noticed the scarcity of women in my field. As I delved deeper into my studies, I discovered a greater number of women pursuing similar paths than I had initially realized. Although it was heartening to know they existed, opportunities to collaborate with and learn from female peers were limited until I began my doctoral studies at the University of North Texas.

At UNT, I had the privilege of working with Tanya Darby and Raquel Samayoa, two formidable women who excel in a field historically dominated by men. Witnessing them was not only empowering but also served as a testament to the progress toward gender equity. However, it also underscored the ongoing need for further advancement. It was during this time that I made a personal commitment to showcase and celebrate the successes of women in my profession and to amplify their voices, thereby showcasing to the world the wealth of talent that exists within our ranks, ultimately inspiring future generations.

The Women Composing for Trumpet Competition

In 2020, the world faced many struggles with COVID running rampant and everything shutting down. In addition to that, two hurricanes — Laura and Delta — made their way directly through Lake Charles, Louisiana, the home of McNeese State University, where I taught. The campus suffered severe damage, and students, faculty and every member of the campus were displaced. Even with all this chaos, I made it a point to continue the mission I set for myself and started seeking opportunities and funding. This led to my first large-scale project, The Women Composing for Trumpet (WCFT) Competition. I applied for and was awarded the Juliet Hardtner Women in Arts and Humanities Professorship. Through this, I received funding to start a competition that would celebrate the music of some incredible composers.

The WCFT Competition was created to add to the list of “standard” trumpet repertoire composed by women. While there are many incredible compositions by women for solo trumpet, the only one that is considered standard by the trumpet community is Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra by Alexandra Pakhmutova, written in 1955. It was my goal to bring light to this matter through the WCFT Competition, as well as give modern women composers the opportunity to contribute to this list of standards and be recognized for their accomplishments.

Once the vision and mission were clear, I compiled a panel of judges comprised of avid advocates for women in the trumpet community including Dr. Pancho Romero, Dr. Raquel Samayoa, Dr. Peyden Shelton and Dr. Ellen Shinogle. Compositions were submitted from all over the world, providing further evidence of the fact that high-quality music written by women does, in fact, exist, and must be showcased and celebrated. I was thrilled to be able to give the award of $2,000 to two grand prize winners: Madeline Lee (“Wind O’er the Highlands”) and Katie Jenkins (“Radiate”), as well as a recording of their work and a publishing deal with Murphy Music Press. The runners up received an honorable mention and included Maria C. Fuller (“Resolution from Fractals”) and Dorothy Gates (“Unseen Things”).

To further celebrate the winners and other extraordinary works for trumpet composed by women, I held an online benefit concert. Having the concert online not only made it available to everyone since we were still experiencing the effects of the pandemic, but it also made it accessible so we could share this music with as many people as possible. The WCFT Benefit Concert included musicians from all over the world including Mary Bowden (Seraph Brass), Robert Garrison, the judges from the competition and more. All funds raised from the concert were donated to the International Women’s Brass Conference with the hopes of helping to provide more support to women brass players across the world.

Since the announcement of these winners, trumpet players across the country have sought out these works to perform. It is my goal to bring the competition back every five years or so to keep working toward this mission, as well as showcasing more extraordinary women composers and musicians.

Powerful Women in Music Concert Series

I remained inspired by what was made possible through the WCFT Competition, and with COVID restrictions lifting, I knew that this was the time to do something in person. I applied for another grant and was awarded the Juliet Hardtner Women in Arts and Humanities Professorship for the second year in a row to fund what I called the “Powerful Women in Music Concert Series.” The objective of this project was to continue to initiate ways to change the fact that underrepresentation of women is prominent in the music profession by featuring women soloists and groups of women performers from various genres, backgrounds and ethnicities.

The first featured artist was Caeley Jackson, trumpet player with the United States Navy Band. Throughout her career, Jackson had toured with the Orchestra of the Americas throughout Poland, Ukraine, Scotland and Germany. She also performed on tour with Seraph Brass, an award-winning all-female brass ensemble. During her residency for the concert series, Jackson gave lessons to music majors and non-majors, as well as provided an in-depth masterclass to the entire music department. This masterclass inspired the students especially with the discussion about how musicians who are a part of military bands can be section players, principal players and soloists as well, resulting in endless options for what is possible with a career in the military. Her concert at the end of her residency included not only our collaborative pianist HaeJu Choi, but also our guitar professor, Jay Kacherski. Her choice in music exposed the students to an incredibly high level of musical artistry through many different genres and styles including pieces originally for trumpet, as well as transcriptions.

Directing the Jazz Ensemble at McNeese State University gave me the opportunity to incorporate the Powerful Women concert series into the curriculum and involve my students. Alexa Tarantino was my first choice when it came to choosing a high-level musician who would be an inspiration for my students. She tours worldwide with Cécile McLorin Salvant, Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and the Alexa Tarantino Quartet. She is also passionate about music education and represents Jazz at Lincoln Center as a visiting educator for various programs with students of all ages and levels. Tarantino was immediately excited when I reached out about this initiative, and provided an inspiring masterclass for the Jazz Ensemble before diving straight into a concert that not only featured her as a soloist, but also many of her original works.

The final feature for this concert series was Calypsus Brass. Founded in 2021 and now a non-profit organization, this professional chamber ensemble performs new works recitals, creates high-level professional recordings for composers, and works with chamber musicians at all levels. The five founding members are avid performers and educators who tour around the world, give masterclasses and recitals. This groundbreaking musical group, founded by five women who earned doctoral degrees in music, is committed to recording and performing works of historically marginalized composers. To further this mission, Calypsus Brass is proud to be the ensemble in residence for Rising Tide Music Press, an organization that publishes and promotes Black, Brown, Indigenous and Asian musicians in their first 10 years of professional-level work as composers and arrangers. Calypsus Brass provided the longest residency for the Powerful Women in Music Concert Series and gave masterclasses to each of the specific brass studios, as well as an in-depth discussion with the brass methods class. Their residency closed with a concert that featured many new commissions including works by Zoe Cutler, Katahj Copley and Cait Nishimura.

The impact of the WCFT Competition and the Powerful Women in Music Concert Series in inspiring and showcasing women musicians across the world have been a resounding success. It’s evident that the music profession’s commitment to this cause remains steadfast. Moving forward, I am dedicated to sustaining this momentum, striving to create even more opportunities for women in music to ensure their voices are celebrated and heard on a global scale. It is my hope that together we will continue to advocate for diversity, inclusion and empowerment in the music community, paving the way for a brighter future for all musicians, regardless of gender.