Adding "her" to the canon: art song recitals and a program starter for junior mezzo-sopranos

Given that the history of Western music can be hegemonic, tending to center on white male composers as opposed to women or people of color, it is plausible that the same asymmetry occurs in art song recital programming in universities. Research shows that women composers are represented in the art song recital canon, but to what extent? What percentage of academic voice recital repertoire is comprised of art songs of women composers? What can voice teachers do to balance student exposure to (and performance of) art songs composed by women? Why is this important? In seeking to answer these questions, this project explores the history of art song recital programming; discusses canon, genre and the effect of these concepts on the programming of works of women composers; and points toward resources that help to expand the canon of university art song recital repertoire. This project also presents a sample recital program starter of four selections for a mezzo-soprano Junior recital featuring the works of women composers that meets university requirements, taking into consideration difficulty level and variety of musical periods and languages. The Resources and References list includes many resources I found helpful in compiling my research. It is my hope that this project will give collegiate voice teachers access to quality art songs composed by women and help their students develop vocal skill while balancing their repertoire – giving more study and stage time to the works of women.