School of Music to celebrate women in music with concert titled 'Empow(H)er'

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State School of Music will celebrate women in music with "Empow(H)er," a concert featuring the works of female composers, at 8 p.m. Sunday, April 14, in the new School of Music Recital Hall at University Park. 

The program will feature a variety of works, including performances by marimba, brass, solo voice and choirs. Admission is free.

Prior to the concert, there will be a discussion panel from 7 to 7:45 p.m. in Room 110 of Music Building I. School of Music faculty members will offer personal insights related to the place of women in music, from scholarship to performance, as well as answer questions from the audience.

According to Ricky O’Bannon, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s first "embedded reporter" fellow, “Women composers make up less than 2 percent of all of the music performed. When only looking at works performed by living composers, female composers account for 14 percent of the repertoire.”

The Penn State School of Music hopes to celebrate the works of female composers and continue this tradition for years to come.