Happy Pride!! 🏳️🌈
Most of the resources for LGBTQ+ representation in classical music that I’ve seen center the biographies and works of queer composers. And while that visibility is great, this reminds me of the “add women and stir” approach to incorporating women into historical narratives – a method that’s at least 50 years out of date.
These conversations also can’t stop as soon as the month of June is over – but in order to really dig into these discussions, we need language and framework to be able to describe the socio-historical reasons that LGBTQ+ musicians have historically been marginalized, and how those reasons intersect & interact with our modern values & institutions. The reality is, queer erasure in classical music is still a problem – and that’s just one of the many reasons why a greater awareness of gender studies and queer studies is needed in classical music.
That said, the resources below go beyond just a list of flute repertoire (though I’ve covered that too) and include resources for queer musicology, supporting trans students, and finding a LGBTQ+ ensemble near you.
As always, this resource list is a work in progress, and none of the links are for affiliates or sponsors – just content from other creators, musicians, and educators that I’ve enjoyed and/or found helpful 🙂
Flute Music by LGBTQ+ Composers
This is by no means a complete list of flute music by LGBTQ+ composers – but if you’re looking to diversify your repertoire, here are a few suggestions to help you get started!
Historical Composers*
*Our concept of LGBTQ+ identities didn’t exist prior to the 20th century, so in many cases it’s difficult to know whether historical figures would have actually identified with those terms. However, what we know about these composers’ personal relationships indicates similarities with modern-day LGBTQ+ identities.
- Jean-Baptiste Lully – Gavotte
- Frederick the Great – Concerto No. 1 in G Major
- Camille Saint-Saëns – Romance, Op. 37
Contemporary Composers
Similar to studies of the gender demographics of classical musicians, a majority of the composers discussed in common narratives of LGBTQ+ composers are either men or male-identifying. On top of that, the vast majority of queer composers in these narratives are either lesbian, gay, or bisexual, with very little representation of the rest of the LGBTQIA+ spectrum.
While that unfortunately holds true for the composers listed below due to limitations in information I was able to find, this is a work in progress and I hope to expand it to become inclusive of more diverse identities in the future.
Chamber Music
- Benjamin Britten – Gemini Variations, Op. 79 (for violin, flute, and piano)
- Ethel Smyth – Variations on Bonny Sweet Robin (for flute, oboe, and piano)
- Timothy Hagen – La brute, c’est Pan, after Debussy’s La flûte de Pan or Syrinx (for four flutes)
- Gary Schocker – Seafarers (for four flutes and piano)
- Jennifer Higdon – Mountain Songs (for flute choir)
Queer Musicology
Queering the Pitch – ed. Philip Brett, Elizabeth Wood, & Gary C. Thomas
I haven’t read this yet, but it’s on my to-be-read list. It was one of a handful of books originally published in the 1990s that centered an interdisciplinary approach to musicology guided by gender studies and social science. These books were influential in promoting discussions around inequalities experienced by musicians with marginalized gender & sexual identities in the field of classical music.
If you’re looking for an in-depth socio-historical analysis that goes beyond the biographies and works of LGBTQ+ composers, check out this book.
YouTube Channels
National LGBTQ+ Flute Choir
This ensemble is conducted by Vincenzo Volpe, and was formed to provide a safe space for queer flutists and allies to enjoy making music together and to promote compositions by LGBTQ+ composers. They perform annually at the NFA conference, and were formed in 2021. Their YouTube channel features recordings of their performances, and is also a great place to find programming ideas for your own flute choir.
Flute is a DRAG!
In 2020, Kylie Fortissimo became the first drag queen invited to perform at a major flute convention. Check out the link above for her website, and you can also find several videos with performances of flute repertoire and flute-playing tips on her YouTube channel.
London Gay Symphony Orchestra
There aren’t many LGBTQ+ orchestras around the world (and even fewer on YouTube). The LGSO is the largest in the U.K., and performs both new commissions and repertoire from the classical canon. Their channel features recordings from some of their concerts.
Fostering Safe Spaces
Blurring the Binary
Given the current political atmosphere here in the U.S., this post wouldn’t be complete without resources to help support trans musicians. The website linked above is a resource for music educators in every corner of our field. The site’s founder, Melanie E. Stapleton, is a music educator, LGBTQ+ advocate, and transgender woman.
Pride Bands Alliance
If you’re a queer instrumentalist in the US, UK, Canada, or Australia looking for a safe place to share your love for classical music, check out the LGBTQ+ ensembles in this directory to see if there’s one near you. (And if you’re in the Seattle area like me, check out our local organization – Rainbow City Performing Arts!)