What if a woman composer’s visibility hinges not on which work is performed, but on who shares the program with her? Our research shows performing a woman composer alongside a musical “great” dramatically boosts her long-term visibility—meaning programming choices quietly shape the next generation of the classical canon.
Everyone knows women composers are vastly outnumbered in the classical canon, but what is less known is how easily a single programming choice can shift their visibility.
Across the world, women compose a small fraction of the orchestral repertoire; in many seasons, major orchestras never play works by women composers. Yet, as more orchestras commit to diversifying their programming, the presence of women composers in contemporary programming is growing—and that shift raises a deeper question: how does the concert context help or hinder women composers’ recognition?
Our research examines this question by looking at the “symbolic association networks” (Braden, Park, and Lee 2024; Park and Braden 2025) orchestras create when they program composer’s works together on the same concert. These networks are powerful. When a conductor pairs two composers in a performance, that combination signals to audiences, critics, and record labels how those composers should be understood in relation to each other. Performance pairings, in other words, quietly but effectively shape the reputational landscape of classical music.
Using ten years of programming data from US professional symphony orchestras (2000–2009), we analyzed more than 78,000 performances and the 1,901 composers they featured. We then tracked the recordings of those composers released between 2010 and 2022. Recordings matter because they spread music far beyond the concert hall and often serve as a primary gateway for audiences. A recorded catalogue is, in many ways, a measure of long-term recognition: which composers are considered relevant, teachable, and worth preserving.
Our central finding is clear, network position matters—and it matters differently for men and women.
What we found
The first finding will not surprise anyone familiar with classical music: women composers were performed far less frequently than men, and none received a solo performance during the ten-year period we analyzed. This means women were always paired with others—and the identity of their programming partners mattered.
One of the most striking results is the “halo effect.” Composers who performed alongside canonical, high-prestige composers (think Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms) were far more likely to receive subsequent recordings of their music. This is true for both men and women, but the boost is notably stronger for women.
Why? Because women often enter the orchestral repertoire as relative newcomers. When audiences, musicians, critics encounter an unfamiliar name placed next to a canonical one, that pairing signals legitimacy. It positions the contemporary composer as someone worth hearing, looking into, remembering. For women, who have historically been excluded from the classical canon, this symbolic endorsement carries particular weight.
This does not mean all-women programs are undesirable. They can be powerful, meaningful, and artistically compelling. But in terms of long-term recognition, our results show that integrating women composers into mainstream programs—rather than isolating them—is far more effective.
For orchestras that want to strengthen gender equity without abandoning the traditional repertoire their audiences expect, this finding offers a straightforward strategy: place women composers in direct conversation with the canon.
When Too Much Of The Same Can Backfire
Our study also uncovered a gender-dependent pattern. When men were paired with other men, regardless of their canonical position (the overwhelming norm), they benefited. Their recognition increased with “gender-homophilous” (i.e., love of the same) ties.
For women, the pattern ran in the opposite direction. Being paired mostly—or entirely—with other women decreased their recognition in subsequent years.
In a field where women represent only about eight percent of performed composers in our dataset, an all-women program may seem a deviation from the norm. The “unusualness” of an all-female grouping can lead some to view these concerts as special events rather than as mainstream presentations of high-quality work. This interpretation likely reduces the long-term reputational payoff for the women involved.
Finally, we found that large performance networks (being programmed alongside many different composers) help everyone. Variety signals versatility. However, repeated ties (being paired with the same people again and again) do not appear to influence long-term recognition.
Policy implications
The findings have four major implications for orchestras, funders, and cultural policymakers.
- A mixed repertoire.
Orchestras need not stop performing canonical works to advance gender equality. Our findings show combining traditional repertoire with works by women can strengthen the field’s cultural richness without alienating audiences.
- Strategic pairing.
If orchestras want to support women composers, pairing them with canonical composers is a particularly effective strategy. It signals artistic legitimacy, helps audiences place their work within a broader musical context, and increases the likelihood of recordings.
- Normalize inclusion.
Women benefit when they are integrated into everyday programming. Visibility that occurs only in themed concerts may unintentionally limit long-term recognition.
- Better demographic data.
Race, ethnicity, and other demographic information are almost entirely missing from composer databases. Without this, equity research is limited. Cultural organizations should consider recording demographic information to support transparent inclusive programming decisions.
The classical music field is often portrayed as resistant to change, but programming choices could serve as a flexible, powerful, and underutilized policy tool moving forward. Simply put: who you place next to whom on the program matters. When orchestras rethink their pairing strategies, they do more than diversify a single concert—they begin to reshape the cultural canon itself.
References
Please find our original papers and the data behind our research here:
Braden, L. E. A., Park, J. H., & Lee, J. (2024). Symbolic association networks: A case study of orchestral programming’s effect on the reputation of composers. Social Networks, 79, 198-208.
Park, J. H., & Braden, L. E. (2025). Gender and Success in Getting “Heard”: How Orchestral Programming Choices Promote Women Composers. Gender, Work & Organization.
About the authors
L.E.A. Braden is Assistant Professor at School of History, Culture, and Communication, Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Ju Hyun Park is Assistant Teaching Professor at Department of Sociology, Emory University.
