Music Beyond the Canon: Organizations

We are a community of composers and colleagues who strive to support and celebrate the work of women composers through advocacy and education.

BIPOC Arts was developed in July 2020 out of a desire to have a collective place that features and celebrates BIPOC individuals in opera. Created by Alejandra Valarino Boyer, BIPOC Arts is a one-click response to “I just don’t know any good BIPOC [opera professional] to hire”. We are here. We are valuable. We are talented.

How do we define opera? What constitutes Blackness? And why do we need to define Black opera?

These questions are complex, and their responses as varied as the experiences of those who relate to them. Rather than fixing definitions for, or interpretations of, BORN’s critical terms of reference, we would like to approach these issues openly, and in dialogue with practitioners and scholars from a range of contexts. Our open enquiry is one that invites conversation with those in Black opera as a lived reality and scholarly endeavor.

Castle of our Skins is a Black arts institution dedicated to fostering cultural curiosity and celebrating Black artistry through music. In classrooms, concert halls, and beyond, Castle of our Skins invites Black heritage and culture exploration, spotlighting both unsung and celebrated figures of past and present.

The Center for Black Music Research (CBMR) highlights the role of black music in world culture with materials originating or representing black music from the United States, the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, and Latin America, in a variety of formats: personal papers, scores, sheet music, audio-visual materials, photographs, oral histories, books, periodicals, and commercial recordings.

ClassicalQueer is a space for Queer+ classical musicians to tell their stories in their own words. It is a living record and archive of the artists, instrumentalists, performers, administrators, composers, writers, and conductors who—because of, rather than in spite of our global networks, diversities, and shared adversities—have something unique to say.

GALA Choruses leads the North American LGBTQ choral movement. We cultivate the artistic development of 10,000 singers from more than 190 choruses in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

LAMI’s goal is to raise the knowledge, understanding, and awareness of classical Latin American repertoire by creating editions, producing concerts and recordings, and offering educational activities so Latin American compositions become part of the canon of works performed and taught around the world.

At LEGATO, communication, and cooperation between LGBTQ+ choirs are at the forefront of what we’re working together towards. Our programs and activities are designed to be a catalyst that helps community members reach their goals and fulfill their potential.

The Music of Asian America Research Center (MAARC) strives to increase knowledge and awareness of Asian American history and experience through collecting and conducting research on materials related to music-making by Asian Americans.

The National Instrumentalist Mentoring and Advancement Network (NIMAN) is the culmination of years of planning, meeting, and a multi-day convening to form the association that strengthens the trajectory of classical instrumentalists of color throughout the United States. It is our goal to achieve racial equity in the field of classical music.

Pride Bands Alliance is a membership organization of LGBTQ+ community concert and marching bands from cities around the world. Formerly Lesbian and Gay Band Association, we were founded in 1982 as Lesbian and Gay Bands of America when seven independent bands met formally in Chicago. Over the past 40 years, Pride Bands Alliance has grown to include 36 member organizations in the United States, Canada, Australia and England.

The Sphinx Organization is a social justice organization dedicated to transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts.
Focused on increasing representation of Black and Latinx artists in classical music and recognizing excellence, Sphinx programs serve beginner students to seasoned classical music professionals, as well as cultural entrepreneurs and administrators.

Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy was founded with the goal of keeping part of the mission of The Women’s Philharmonic alive. Our founders and Board members include women who were active with TWP.