Use UMKC Music/Media Library Research Guides to Build Diverse Recital Programs.
Now through October 5 | Ground Floor, Miller Nichols Library
The start of the semester is the perfect time to find new music to study and perform. To help you on that journey of exploration, we revamped our “Diversify Your Repertoire” Research Guide for Music and created new Research Guides for Theatre and Dance.
These Research Guides include links to databases and websites from all over the world, that are either free or accessible by signing in with your UMKC SSO (single sign-on) and password. (Clicking on the links below opens a new tab.)
- Diversify Your Repertoire Music Research Guide
- Diversify Your Repertoire Dance Research Guide
- Diversify Your Repertoire Theatre Research Guide
According to the orchestra report of the Institute for Composer Diversity, only 22.5% of programmed works in United States orchestras in the 2021-2022 season were written by women and composers of color. While this is a significant increase from the institute’s first report in the 2015-2016 season, there is still work to be done to achieve equitable concert programming.
Conservatory students are the future of the performing arts, guided by their faculty mentors. As representatives of that future, now is the time to begin exploring diverse repertoire and artists. Continued efforts in our programming, research, and patronage develops professional careers as performers, scholars, educators, and advocates, creating a community that encourages a rich and diverse body of repertoire and values different perspectives, identities, and experiences.
Our collection of books, scores, and media spans repertoire from old to new and includes works by composers from historically underrepresented groups for just about every instrument as well as several ensembles. Our “Shining A Light” Collection, an initiative we started in 2020, focuses on works published in the 21st century, from composers traditionally underrepresented in the concert hall. We’ve also highlighted the John Duncan Collection and Amy Beach Collection, in UMKC’s LaBudde Special Collections, as well as a selection of databases.
There is something for every Conservatory student to discover!
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to see more collection highlights. Click the button below to see the resource list for the Diversify Your Repertoire collection display.