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Working toward Balanced Programming with Tools from the

INSTITUTE
for
INSTITUTE for COMPOSER DIVERSITY
DIVERSITY
COMPOSER

Choral Works Database
by Elaine Bennington, Helena von Rueden, and Wanda Vásquez García

Co-Coordinators of the Choral Works Database at the Institute of Composer Diversity

choral@composerdiversity.com

Search. Program.

Perform. Repeat.

Programming is a crucial task. Traditionally, pro- Introduction to the
gramming decisions have focused on increasing musi- Institute of Composer Diversity
cal literacy, refining specific vocal techniques, designing The Institute for Composer Diversity (ICD) is a vol-
affective moments that evoke emotions, and teaching unteer-staffed non-profit housed within the University
the history and practices of various musical styles and of New York at Fredonia’s Research Foundation. ICD
genres. However, responsible programming that ex- “works to encourage the discovery, study, and perfor-
pands cultural awareness and amplifies marginalized mance of music written by composers [and arrangers]
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and minoritized voices, honors diverse perspectives, from historically excluded groups.” Among ICD’s
and is representative of today’s singers and audiences many tools are the Choral Works Database, launched
is just as important. The benefits of more inclusive in 2021, and suggested Best Practices for program-
programming are well documented for participants, ming. These tools are designed to help conductors
organizations, and broader communities but require select works by marginalized and minoritized compos-
conductors to look for music outside the traditional ers with clearer intentionality and impact, and help
western canon and its well-established composers who conductors “operationalize [diversity, equity, inclu-
happen to be mostly white, mostly men, and mostly de- sion, and access] goals… through the repertoire [they]
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ceased. select and perform.”
Faced with organizational/institutional pressure,
limited resources, and finite time and energy, many
conductors consult familiar repertoire choices, known ICD Choral Works Database
either through training, choral performances, or choic- The Choral Works Database is a free, online,
es readily available on major publishing websites. In a searchable database containing repertoire composed
2017 letter to the editor, ACDA’s own Diversity Initia- by historically marginalized and minoritized compos-
tives Committee acknowledged that “[s]earching for ers.
publishers and distributors of lesser-known composers’ Living composers and arrangers in this database
works, vetting new scores for quality, and expanding a have all consented to be included, and, as part of that
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performance library are time and cost intensive…” In process, have provided their own identifying demo-
response to these issues, The Institute for Composer graphic criteria (as well as a profile, if they choose).
Diversity has developed tools to help conductors diver- Some composers have a complete catalog included,
sify their repertoire and programming. while others have a representative sampling.

CHORAL JOURNAL March/April 2023 Volume 63 Number 7 55