Women and gender perspective: analyzing the repertoire of professional choirs in Southeast Brazil

Abstract

Reflections on gender inequality in music have deepened the understanding of which aspects have hindered or excluded female composers and their works from the canonical repertoire and musical programming. In this article, we analyse the repertoire of professional choirs in the capital cities of Brazil's Southeast region from a gender perspective, in order to assess the presence of women as composers and arrangers and to discuss gender representation and equity in choral music. Overall, we observed that 1.7% of the repertoire presented by the choirs from 2015 to 2021 consisted of compositions and arrangements by women. Professional choirs aimed at promoting contemporary works demonstrated greater openness to performing pieces from different periods that deviate from the canonical repertoire. We believe that research addressing choral singing from a gender perspective can broaden access to the works of female composers and arrangers and reintegrate them into the history of music.