Refugee: Woman and Children by Hung Liu
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It is hard to read the news of the sprawling Epstein ring and not think about our cultural legacy towards women. How can we honor the women saints, prophets, queens, preachers, teachers, and peace-workers? What indeed is incarnation, if not the presence of God in women and men? Art works like the one above remind me that women, even if just symbolic women, are the hands, feet, and voice of God. This painting by Hung Liu shows sacred images in the canvas: saints, a lotus, and a crane. The artist is showing us that the woman and her work are holy.
Woman Composer Sunday will be March 8th, the same day as International Women's Day.
Now is a great time to start thinking about choral and organ music for that third Sunday in Lent. Below are some FREE organ works. Looking for choral works? A Great Host of Composers has lots of suggestions. You can get to their website at
https://www.greathostcomposers.org/
The Society of Women Organists who both 1) dreamed up Woman Composer Sunday and 2) compiled lists of repertory are immensely helpful in finding music. You can find their lists Here.
The American Guild of Organists winning compositions for Woman Composer Sunday are listed below. They include a second place prize from WSMP for the short composition. These works are free and available to anyone. Enjoy!!
Commission, Concert Work – Mary Beth Bennett – When the Morning Stars Sang Together Score Video
1st Place, Short Work – Katherine Wright - Nocturne on Conditor Alme Siderum Score Video
2nd Place, Short Work – Pamela Robison - Fanfare and Celebration Score Video
1st Place, Hymn Tune – Jennifer Page Kess Velázquez - Known by God Score Video
1st Place, Hymn Text – Laurel Sanders - Come, everyone, to worship God Text
Young Composer Prize – Maggie Johns - Search for a New Land Score Video
The 2025 winners are here:
1st Place, Concert Work – Brenda Portman, "Diptych for Organ"
1st Place, Short Work – Maureen Howell, "Reflection on Kingsfod"
2nd Place, Short Work – Evelyn Larter, "Here's One"
3rd Place, Short Work – Miriam Reveley, "Adagio in C Minor"
Young Composer Prize – Celina Kobetitsch, "Fantasy on Noël Nouvelet"
Resounding Voices
Our Resounding Voices collection in honor of the hymnal Voices Found is now hyperlinked for easier navigation. You can download it at:
https://thehymnsociety.org/resources/resounding-voices/
Resounding Voices with hyperlinks 11_25.pdfWelcome to the Women's Sacred Music Project!
The latest installment of Hymns by Women (Lent through Easter) is here. Learn about our other projects below.
Offprint #3 women's hymns.pdfWSMP supports Wildflower Composers!
https://wildflowercomposers.org/
Here is a beautiful recording of Hope Salmonson's WSMP 2024 winning commissioned work, Ubi caritas et amor.
This year we have awarded a prize of $500 to Ksenia Stetsenko and a runner-up prize of $100 to Bridget Bourne. These young composers will write a sacred choral work in which God is described in gender-neutral or feminist names. Here's a bit more about Ksenia:
Ksenia Stetsenko is a Ukrainian composer, violinist, and pianist based in Philadelphia. Urged by global political events and inspired by personal experiences, she writes for solo instruments, chamber ensembles, orchestra, and a cappella voices. Her works have been performed in cities including New York, Philadelphia, Edmonton, Quebec, Lviv, Kharkiv, London, Berlin, and Frankfurt. Ksenia holds a B.M. in Music Composition from the Lviv National Music Academy, where she studied with Prof. Bohdana Frolyak. Her artistic voice is further shaped by her background in Cultural Studies and her lifelong passion for travel.
Ksenia is honored to receive this commission and excited to see how the text and music shape the piece, bringing the idea to life in such a beautiful and important project.
New Project, New Collaborations Underway!
The WSMP Board has approved a project to commission a collection of anthems for children, teens, and amateur adult choirs. Our hope is to find new gender-inclusive language for The Holy One and share it in musically accessible songs and anthems. The cost of a single 3-4 minute anthem is approximately $500-1000 depending on the composer. Would you like to donate a song?
Thank you for your support!
Imagining God as a mother, as Wisdom, as a fierce bear, as a protective hen, all images from scripture, we affirm a God known by many names.
Imagining God as a mother, as Wisdom, as a fierce bear, as a protective hen, all images from scripture, we affirm a God known by many names.
Since 1995, the Women’s Sacred Music Project has been advancing women’s achievements in sacred music
Discovering a broad range of sacred music by women, much of it unpublished.
Publishing women’s sacred music in Voices Found, Leader's Guide to Voices Found, and Resounding Voices.
Commissioning works by women addressing themes of women in Sacred Scriptures.
Presenting concerts of sacred music by women of various religious traditions.
Educating individuals and communities in the rich resources of women’s sacred music.
The Women's Sacred Music Project received a grant for $1500 from the American Guild of Organists IDEA Committee (Inclusion, diversity, Equity, and Accessibility.) We are grateful for this support toward our latest project, a collection of anthems for amateur choirs with gender-neutral or feminine names for God.
We have also received a grant for $1000 to support the Hymns by Women Project! We are thankful for the Association of Anglican Musicians and their grants team. Your support makes this work possible.
Support Our Mission
Support Our Mission
As a 501(c)3 not-for-profit entity, the WSMP asks for your generosity to support our cause of advancing women's achievements in sacred music. In order to fund comprehensive projects like Resounding Voices, including hymns which are Jewish, Christian, and stretching the boundaries, the WSMP has raised over $20,000 through grants and individual donations. Your continued support of this groundbreaking mission helps us bring many more musical opportunities to women.
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