A large part of cultural heritage in music is formed by music written by women composers.
The Foundation Raduga-Ensemble will strive for aquiring recognition and respect for professional women musicians in classical and serious music and amelioration of their image, both in the Netherlands and abroad, because we are sure that the quality of compositions and of conducting and performing music does not depend on gender. This is our main target, to be reached within a period of 10 years.
That is why a prominent part (50%) of our stock repertory and of our concerts played is written by women composers both from the Netherlands and abroad.
First performances of music written by women will preferably be lead by a woman conductor. The Raduga-Ensemble also wants to be a perfect environment for young talented women musicians.
Why this target and why just women composers, conductors and musicians?
Although quality standards for music (or any other form of art or profession) do not depend on gender caracteristics and nevertheless equal chances for men and women are formulated by law in the Netherlands and in many cases the situation has become better, it appears that there is still a large emancipatoric distance between the two different professional groups. All kind of research and publications from the past few years show clearly that - although the measures obliged by law - 'the glass ceiling' makes that only a very few highly qualified women succeed in getting equal recognition or a top function. Due to 'sex schemes', which influence our way of thinking unconsciously - both men and women - women do not get respect and recognition spontaneously and in a similar way as men do.
- A branche in which this distance between sexes is very large, but outside the inner circle not to been seen, is the very traditional and conservative world of the classical, the serious and the jazz music. Probably it is hardly noticed because of a large number of internationally wellknown women vocal and instrumental soloists. In the field of the composing and orchestral world however this distance is very large.
- There are at this moment over 8000 names of women composers known in music history (Das Orchester, october 2000), but their biographies are rarely to be found in music history books. Their music is seldom performed and even more seldom recorded (Own research based upon systematic analysis of most of the stage-programs in The Neterlands from 1997-2001). And if performed, you will hardly find a word about it in the media.
The same situation goes for more than 600 operas written by women composers (and librettists). (New Grove Dictionary of Women Composers 1999 and Women writing Opera, 2000)
- Of all living composers at least 38% are women (Graduation thesis by mrs Thea Derks, MA, 1991, State University of Utrecht (not published). Their music however is very seldom part of the repertory of any orchestra or ensemble, although often this music is of a high artistic quality, interesting and inspiringly new.
- In the Netherlands one can listen to a large number of national and international classical broadcast stations, totalling 1600 hours a week for serious music, i.e. classical, serious music and jazz. Less than 0,25% of all these hours is spent on music written by women composers (Own research, based upon systematic analysis - between may1997 and november 2001 - of the two broadcast periodicals 'VPRO-Gids' and 'Vrije Geluiden' with information about 8 classical radio broadcaststations in Western Europe).
- Sincemore than a decade in Kassel, Germany , +/- 50 concertos were programmed with only music of women. Alltogether the works of approximately 100 composers were performed. Nevertheless the wellknown monthly 'Das Orchester' published in the year 2000 an article heading: 'A step into the unknown'.
- The number of women first concert masters at symphony-orchestras in the Netherlands can be counted on one hand (Graduation thesis by mrs Lonneke Richter, MA 2001, State University of Utrecht (not published). Even international there are very few.
- Also in the world of jazz women composers have to fight for recognition.
- All over the world there is only a handfull of women orchestra conductors really known. Researching we nevertheless found over 100 names of active orchestra conductors. Most of them are to be qualified as good or very good. Nevertheless these women are seldom invited to conduct any orchestra in the Netherlands, because they are women!
On the conservatoria young women are seldom encouraged to choose the profession of orchestra conductor, an international issue.
- Every professional musician has the right of getting recognition and respect - whether it is a woman or a man.
Why Women?
"All women artists are different from each other. Not just in the personality that makes some determined to succeed and others upset by the smallest obstacle. But in their circumstances too. The family they are born into, the ideas in their circle, the helping hand of an outsider, the attitudes of the age all effects their progress and make it impossible to construct a standard profile of a woman artist.
And yet in one way they are united. All of them operated in a profession where they had no part in making the rules. Their similarity is not in their being women but in the fact that they had to work - and still do to an extent - in a world whose assumptions and standars were set by men.
However seriously women took themselves as artists they were never seen by others as artists plain and simple, they were seen as women artists, bearers of society's view on a woman's place, potential, nature and role. It is the difference from men who made up the majority that makes it possible to discuss them as a group. Women artists (like women composers) were outsiders in a male profession. () Women artists were intruders in the art (and music) world, a world of which men claimed to be open to everyone of talent but which in practice made few moves to welcome women."
Frances Borzello in: 'A World of Our Own. Women as artists'. 2000
- Research of the American psychologist professor Virginia Valian Ph D; (see her book 'Why so slow', (1999) and her interviews in several Dutch magazines and daily papers (1999). These research results show very clearly that "sexe scheme's" are disturbing the clear view by both men and women. This is the reason why women mostly unconsiously are undervaluated and men overvaluated.
- Recent articles in the ILWC-Journal (International Leage of Women Composers) and in the IAWM-Journal (International Association of Women in Music) and other recent publications about the results of research in this field which are showing the lac of attention, interest and recognition in the media, the necessity of women's networks, the existance of the 'glass ceiling' in the professional environment and the macho-culture inside organizations, which means that - in spite of the so-called 'girl-power' - the emancipation of women is still not yet finished, at least not in the field of serious music.
Support
Having chosen the targets mentioned above the Foundation Raduga-Ensemble feels itself strongly encouraged and supported by:the Committee of Recommendation of the Raduga-Ensemble, where several well-known Dutch women give their sympathy and support to our targets.
The profile for our identity
- The Raduga-Ensemble is not just another chamber string orchestra. Heraldship, being an eye-opener for and initiator in an almost unknown and mostly forgotten area in the large field of serious music is the role the Raduga-Ensemble sets for itself. Not as a feministic outflow, but as an interestgroup. She will take this role serious, consequent and continual, and will work on it both on its own and in co-ope-ration with any other person or organization that can or will help to realize the targets mentioned above.
- Chosing these targets the Foundation Raduga-Ensemble follows the in 1996 deceased Dutch woman composer Tera de Marez Oyens.