Mission:
To advocate for female organists;
to bring more women into the Guild;
to attract a new generation of young female organists;
to build equal representation of women in the American Guild of Organists at all levels.
Director: Nancy Cooper, DMA, CAGO – Email
Eileen Hunt, AAGO, DMA – Email
Michelle Kardos, MM, MT-BC, CAGO – Email
Lyn Loewi, DMA – Email
Mary Newton, DMA, CAGO – Email
Leslie Wolf Robb, BA, CAGO – Email
Vicki Schaeffer, DM – Email
Elizabeth George, Chief Membership Officer, AGO Headquarters Staff – Email
If you are interested in being part of this mission or have content, links and resources you would like to see added to the topics listed on this page, please email Elizabeth George.
Please click on the ˇ to expand the menu associated with each of the topics listed below.
ARTICLES ABOUT WOMEN, FROM TAO AND OTHER SOURCES AGO Task Force For Gender Equity-Sept 2020 TAO Articles listed under “women” in the yearly indices of TAO, 1979-1998 1980 1982 1985 1989 1991 (Women and Careers in Sacred Music and Performance, Committee on, 2:20) Jais-Mick, Maureen. Professional Concerns Forum: Where are the Women Organists? 5:32. 1993 Ripley, Colette S. The Organ Music of Rolande Falcinelli, 5:44 1994 1997 After 1998, it appears that “women” was not a subject in TAO’s indices. MISC. TAO ARTICLES AFTER 1998 2020 TAO “Women in Improvisation” series in progress, by Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra Goal: to create greater awareness about the gender imbalance in our profession and to lift up women as role models and leaders in the field. Article 1: [September 2020] “Stats and the cold, hard, facts.” Statistics revealing gender imbalance from three improvisation competitions. Article 2: [October 2020] “A loving home for improvisation.” An essay by Dr. Marie Rubis Bauer detailing her mindset for liturgical improvisation. Article 3: [November 2020] “An interview with Dr. Mary Beth Bennett.” Article 4: [December 2020] “An interview with Dr. Naki Sung-Kripfgans.” Article 5: [January 2021] “An interview with Dr. Ann Labounsky.” Article 6: [February 2021] “Women in jazz improvisation. An interview with Dr. Ellen Rowe.” Article 7: [March 2021] “An interview with Rachel Laurin.” Article 8: [April 2021] “Improvisation scholarship, performance, and pedagogy.” Article 9: [May 2021] “The future of women in improvisation: multidisciplinary comparisons, strategies, & solutions.” Article 10: [June 2021] “An interview with Dr. Renée Anne Louprette. WEBSITES BY AND ABOUT FEMALE ORGANISTS Twelve Chant Organ Pieces Created by Women Composers https://www.boulangerinitiative.org/ Includes lists of publications, including books and compositions: organ, choral, hymns and Psalms, and hymn concertos. Jeannine Jordan performer’s website, which also includes interviews with women important in the organ world. https://www.sarahsimko.com/volume-i-sacred-inspirations DMA student at University of Michigan’s website; she received a Presser Foundation grant to record living American women composers in 3 CDs. Performer’s website, which includes sample programs featuring women composers. http://www.marybethbennett.com Composer’s website. https://www.kerensabriggs.co.uk Composer’s website. https://tinyurl.com/y52oemcy A Great Host of Women Composers, Online Professional Organizations that support and advocate for gender equity International Alliance for Women in Music Organ Historical Society Pipedreams Ladies First – Clara Wieck-Schumann (1819-1896) – Prelude & Fugue in d, Opus 16, nr. 3, Miriam Zach, organist, Princeton University Chapel https://pipedreams.publicradio.org/listings/2010/1009/ Women Work – Amy Cheney Beach (1867-1944) – Prelude on an Old Folk Tune, Miriam Zach, organist, Princeton University Chapel https://pipedreams.publicradio.org/listings/2013/1333/ Women Work – Florence Price (1887-1953) – Fughetta & Air from Suite No. 1, Miriam Zach, organist, Princeton University Chapel https://www.yourclassical.org/programs/pipedreams/episodes/2020/03/02 Women Working – Rolande Falcinelli (1920-2006) – O Sacrum Convivium, Miriam Zach, organist, Princeton University Chapel in honor of Women’s Equality Day August 26, 2020, the centennial anniversary of the 1920 adoption of the 19th Amendment to United States Constitution giving women the right to vote. https://www.pipedreams.org/episode/2020/08/17/women-working (begin Part 2 at 1:04:14) RESOURCES ABOUT FEMALE COMPOSERS/COLLECTIONS OF CHURCH AND ORGAN MUSIC BY WOMEN Christa Rakich compositions that can be downloaded https://christarakich.com/compositions/ https://www.greathostcomposers.org/ https://www.amplifyfemalecomposers.org/ https://libguides.oberlin.edu/music/diversify-your-repertoire Margaret Zach International Women Composers Library Zach, Miriam. For the Birds: Women Composers Music History Speller. Ames, Iowa: Culicidae Press, (2005 1st edition, 2015 2nd edition). ISBN-13 978-1-941892-10-7 Organ and Harpsichord Music by Women Composers-An annotated catalog Compiled by Adel Heinrich, 1991, Greenwood Press. Frauen komponieren-Female Composers 22 Organ Pieces from the 19th and 20th Centuries Barbara Heller/Lucia Schnellbacher, 2009, Schott. Voices Found: Women in the Church’s Song A Hymnal put out by the Women’s Sacred Music Project, 2004 Church Publishing, Inc. NON-MUSIC-SPECIFIC BOOKS AND ARTICLES THAT ADDRESS GENDER ISSUES Cuddy, Amy. Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges. New York: Little Brown, 2015. Coming back from a traumatic brain injury to a Harvard Professorship. _______ TED Talk, 2013. Power Poses. Was the second most watched in history of that series. Helgeson, Sally and Marshall Goldsmith. How Women Rise: Break the 12 Habits Holding You Back from Your Next Raise, Promotion or Job. Professional advice from internationally recognized career coaches. Goldsmith writes for and works with men as well. Janke, Christine K. The Well-Spoken Woman: Your Guide to Looking and Sounding Your Best. Coached Hillary Clinton, among other high powered women. Pressfield, Steven. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles. New York: Black Irish Books, 2002. Sandberg, Sheryl and Nell Scovell. Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead. Chief Operating Officer of Facebook. https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/shocking-facts-gender-inequality-international-wom/ https://inequality.org/gender-inequality/#gender-income-gaps
Years not mentioned had no mention of “women” in their indices.
1999-present is less complete.
Formatting consistent with TAO practice.
1979
Hettrick, Jane Schatkin. She Drew an Angel Down — The Role of Women in the History of the Organ, 300 B.C. to 1900 A.D., 3:39.
Ammer, Christine. American Women Organists, before 1900, 2:28.
Hettrick, Jane Schatkin. Five Books on Women in Music, books on, 3:21
Diemer, Emma Lou. Loneliness of the Long-Distance Organ Composer, 9:45.
Johns, Michele. Conference on Women in Music, 8:42.
Hubler, Lyn. Three Unknown Organ Composers. 8:50.
Jackson, Barbara Garvey. Early Music by Women Composers, 5:62.
Fishell, Janette. Professional Concerns Forum: A Survey on Women’s Issues, 2:20.
Fitzer, Mary Molina. Professional Concerns Forum: Women and Negotiating Getting from “Wan” to Win, 8:32.
The Chorale Preludes of Ethel Smyth, 7:56.
Organ Music by Women from Poland, 3:62.
The Organ Works of Violet Archer, 10:62.
Women Organ composers
Jennifer Bate, 2:68
Canadian, 6:66
Emma Lou Diemer, 8:43
English, 10:63
French, 11:56
Women Organists, 4:22
Women composers in the US, 2:56.
2010
Sandresky, Margaret Vardell. Elizabeth Crusiger: First Woman Poet of the Reformation – Her Christmas Hymn and its Music, 12:96.
Loewi, Lyn. Women Anglican Composers, The American Organist, 3:56.
The OHS 2021 “Kaleidoscope of Colors” Festival invited Miriam Zach to record with Iowa State University Brombaugh pipe organ to represent the Midwest and U.S. tracker pipe organ revival. The virtual tour will include music by 10 international women composers.
She’s Done It! – Erzsébet Szönyi (1924-2019) 4 Pieces for Organ: Praeambulum, Lullaby, Essay in Harmony, Fugato, Miriam Zach, organist, Princeton University Chapel https://pipedreams.publicradio.org/listings/ 2007/0730/
to celebrate International Women’s Day during Women’s History Month.
