Israel Women Composers’ Forum

Israel Women Composers’ Forum

In Summer 2000, a group of women musicians established the Israel Women Composers’ Forum (IWCF). The Forum’s main goal is to provide a stage for Israeli women composers of concert music. There are over sixty professional women composers in Israel - a third of all Israeli concert music composers. Yet, the share of women composers in the contemporary music scene barely reaches 5% of all broadcasts, public performances, and recordings. In addition, until this year, there was not a single woman on any composition faculty of either universities or colleges throughout Israel. Furthermore, since 1936 the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra performed dozens of musical works written by Israeli men composers, but a mere four written by women.

It is hard to imagine the contemporary music scene in Europe or U.S.A. without women composers or composition professors. Between 1990-1997, Ms. Shulamit Ran served as home composer of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In Israel, no woman composer has ever been offered the position of home composer by any of the  many local orchestras.

The Israeli Women Composer’s Forum was established as an affirmative measure, responding to the absence of women in the contemporary music scene. It works under the sponsorship of the Music Education School at the Levinsky College of Education in Tel Aviv. The Forum’s first concert, “Patches,” was received with a standing ovation from the audience and with applauds by music critics. The Forum’s second concert, performed in front of enthusiastic 400 people audience, featured music of Israeli women composers as well as European women composers of the past.

 Despite its young age, the Forum has received proposals from festivals and ensembles both in Israel and abroad. We are working to produce concerts and record CDs. We are building data base of all concert music written by Israeli women composers, in order to proliferate it among performers and music teachers. We are building coalitions with women from all fields of visual and performing arts.  And we hope to represent the rainbow of cultures typical to our region.

Israel Women Composers’ Forum – Dr. Hagar Kadima, chairperson; Sarah Shoham, general secretary; Michelle Catalove, treasurer. Committee members: Hilat Ben-Knaz, Lotti Amit-Calev, Yardena Friedman-Orbach, Noa Blass. Conceptual and organization advisor: Professor Smadar Lavie, anthropologist. Tel: 972-3-5490112. Fax: 972-3-549-0112  e-mail: hagark@macam.ac.il