Artists and dreamers of all ages invited to discover forgotten music of 19th-century women composers

Posted on: 07 July 2025

Artists and dreamers of all ages are being invited to discover the forgotten music of 19th-century women composers and respond to their music with their own creative projects.

The project, the Expansive Canvas Creative Palette, aims to ignite curiosity about women composers, by inviting the public to discover and creatively respond to the lives and music of many women composers active during the 19th-century. It is led by Trinity's Department of Music and the Royal Irish Academy of Music.

The women celebrated in the project once stood outside the concert halls, the publishing houses, and the academy. Today, the public are being invited to respond to their music. This could be Augusta Holmés, for instance, born in 1947 in Paris of Irish descent, who published some of her earlier music under a male pseudonym. Or Ina Boyle from Enniskerry, Co. Wicklow, a prolific composer whose many compositions were rarely performed throughout her lifetime.

The project has been developed as part of The Expansive Canvas, the International Conference and Collaborative Symposium exploring Large-Scale Form in the Music of 19th-century Women Composers. The conference is taking place at the Trinity Long Room Hub, Trinity and the Royal Irish Academy of Music between the 26–28 of August, 2025.

Anyone, from age 3–103, anywhere in the world, is invited to discover the lives and music of the women composers of the 19th century, using the Creative Palette document as a jumping off point. Then, by engaging with the creative prompts in the Creative Palette, creators are encouraged to respond creatively in any form they choose including poetry, stories, documentaries, original compositions, or visual art. 

Participants might dream up radio plays with soundtracks by Cecile Chaminade or stage imaginary interviews with Leokadya Kashperova. They might draw the landscape of an Elfrida Andrée symphony or reimagine a lost letter from Alma Mahler. They might do this alone, or better still, together. Those with longer life experience may find a special resonance in the stories of women composers whose creative lives unfolded within constraints familiar to many across generations.

The stories, the artworks, the sound collages and poems that emerge from this project will be featured online during the conference and through a special audio trail on the grounds of Trinity College Dublin from 26 August to 1 October 2025.

Conceived and developed by the conductor Sinéad Hayes, The Creative Palette reflects her innovative approach to musical collaboration and her deep commitment to artistic inclusivity. 

“This is an extraordinary opportunity to take the music of these women out of the academy and into everyday life,” says Dr Nicole Grimes, Associate Professor of Music at Trinity and Co-Chair of the Creative and Organising Team for The Expansive Canvas conference.

“There’s so much talk about women composers, but if we want people to really engage, they need to get their hands on it. The Creative Palette offers a powerful way in — not through lectures or textbooks —but through creativity itself,” added Professor Denise Neary, Royal Irish Academy of Music, and Co-Chair of the event.

The deadline for receipt of creative responses is 31st July 2025. Submissions are now open and more information can be found on the Expansive Canvas website here.

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