'Distinguished Rebels': Women who have changed the face of classical music

March is Women's History Month, and we're celebrating women who have changed the face of classical music. Learn more about 10 women who have contributed to classical music as composers, performers, conductors and educators.

Gabriela Montero

Born in Caracas, Venezuela, in 1970, Gabriela Montero is a pianist, an improviser, a composer and an outspoken advocate for human rights. As an honorary consul for Amnesty International, she's dedicated to using her voice as an artist to call out the corruption and humanitarian crisis in her home country. Even when it's come at some cost to her career, she has never wavered from her advocacy or her personal integrity. She has consistently made choices and made music based on her deepest values. — Valerie Kahler, host/producer

LISTEN — Distinguished Rebels: Gabriela Montero

Marin Alsop

Even though Marin Alsop knew from 9 that she wanted to conduct, she was told again and again that “girls can’t do that,” and was turned down — multiple times — when she applied to the conducting program at Juilliard. Since the establishment’s doors were closed to her, she knew she’d have to knock down some walls to get in. She was the first female principal conductor of an English orchestra and the first woman to conduct at La Scala. She has continued to conduct many orchestras since. “The old boys’ network — that’s been there for centuries,” Alsop says. “We have to create the old girls’ network, so that we can really be there for each other and support each other.” — Valerie Kahler

LISTEN — Distinguished Rebels: Marin Alsop

Chiquinha Gonzaga

Born in Rio de Janeiro on October 17, 1847, Chiquinha Gonzaga had such a profound impact on the musical culture of Brazil that her birthday is celebrated every year as the National Day of Popular Music. A descendant of nobility on one side and slavery on the other, she became a brilliant and prolific composer with over 2,000 songs to her credit. She was Brazil’s first woman conductor and a fighter for the protection of copyright for artists and composers, for women’s right to vote and for the abolitionist cause. — Valerie Kahler

LISTEN — Distinguished Rebels: Chiquinha Gonzaga

JoAnn Falletta

When American conductor JoAnn Falletta had her first concert with the Buffalo Philharmonic in 1999, there were no other women leading orchestras in major American cities. In the 25 years since, she’s won multiple Grammys and multiple ASCAP awards, conducted 150 world premieres and recorded well over 100 albums, focusing on underrepresented or forgotten composers and commissioning new works for the concert stage. She even founded her own label with the Buffalo Philharmonic, Beau Fleuve. — Valerie Kahler

LISTEN — Distinguished Rebels: JoAnn Falletta

Ethel Smyth

Born in 1858, Ethel Smyth was introduced to music by her mother as a child. Despite disapproval from her father, she made music her career, studying at the Leipzig Conservatory and brushing elbows with the likes of Antonin Dvorak, Edward Grieg and Clara Schumann. Her opera, Der Wald, was the first opera written by a woman to be performed at the Metropolitan Opera, in 1903. — Andrea Blain, former national host/producer

LISTEN — Distinguished Rebels: Ethel Smyth

Valerie Coleman

As a baby, Valerie Coleman pretended to play the flute with sticks she found in her back yard. By the time she was 14, she was playing a real flute in her school band and had already written three full-length symphonies. As a student, she became the founder of the now-acclaimed ensemble Imani Winds. She is now an in-demand composer, a Grammy-winning artist and entrepreneur who continues to break down cultural and social barriers in classical music. — Jillene Khan, classical host

LISTEN — Distinguished Rebels: Valerie Coleman

Maud Powell

At the turn of the 20th century, Maud Powell picked up the violin as a young child and never really put it down. She believed her duty as an artist was to excite the novice and the expert alike. She performed music that was appealing to all and was sought out by composers to premiere their violin concertos. She also included African-American spirituals in her recitals, to uplift the legacy and music of Black Americans. A slogan from her husband encapsulates her energy as a performer and musician: "the arm of a man, the heart of a woman and the head of an artist." — Julie Amacher, program director

LISTEN — Distinguished Rebels: Maud Powell

Florence Price

Florence Price was tireless in her pursuit of excellence, a task made even harder by the discrimination she faced as a Black woman. She wrote a massive catalog of works for a variety of ensembles and instruments, and she was the first Black woman to have a work performed by a major American orchestra. She had to fight to be taken seriously as a composer, all while raising two kids and dealing with an unsupportive husband. Her music illustrates the depth of American musical identity and the tenacity of the American spirit. — Siriana Lundgren

LISTEN — Distinguished Rebels: Florence Price

Fanny Mendelssohn

From a young age, Fanny Mendelssohn was composing songs and piano pieces. Although not afforded the same opportunities as her younger brother, Felix, she wrote hundreds of works and was looked up to by him — so much so that she was given the nickname Minerva: the goddess of wisdom. She published works under her brother's name until 1846, when a collection of her pieces under her name was published. — Andrea Blain

LISTEN — Distinguished Rebels: Fanny Mendelssohn

Hazel Scott

In 1939, Time magazine said, "The darling of cafe society, Hazel Scott, commits arson while playing the classics." She amazed audiences with her unique takes on classical music, infusing boogie-woogie and jazz into her playing. A child prodigy, she started studying at Juilliard at 8. By 19, she had her own radio show, performed on Broadway and would be seen on the silver screen. She fought for racial and social justice throughout her life and was one of the first Black performers to refuse to play to segregated audiences. — Meghann Oglesby, producer for Performance Today

LISTEN — Distinguished Rebels: Hazel Scott

Lara St. John

Canadian violinist Lara St. John started playing violin when she was only 2 and entered the Curtis Institute of Music at 13. Praised for her powerful presence with fearless and fiery chops, she is a champion for music off the beaten path, including reimagined Eastern European folk tunes and an entire album of works for solo violin written by women composers. She also is an outspoken advocate for survivors of sexual abuse in the world of classical music, a role she stepped into bravely after her own horrific experiences as a music student at Curtis. — Valerie Kahler

LISTEN — Distinguished Rebels: Lara St. John

Tine Thing Helseth

Norwegian trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth fell in love with the instrument at 7 and promptly joined her school band. She began earning awards for her performances and won newcomer of the year in the Norwegian Grammys, the first classical musician to be nominated in that category. In 2007, she released her first album featuring the four major classical trumpet concertos, reminding the world that classical trumpet was not a boys’ club. That same year, she and some friends founded the 10-woman brass ensemble tenThing. Together with her all-female band, she is helping to build a musical future where “10-woman” is an unremarkable lineup and “all-female” an unnecessary descriptor. — Valerie Kahler

LISTEN — Distinguished Rebels: Tine Thing Helseth

Lara Downes

When pianist Lara Downes was a little girl, she came across a picture of the young Clara Wieck, later known as Clara Schumann, and was thrilled to see someone finally who looked like her in classical music, someone she could relate to and be inspired by. She would go on to become that person for a new generation of musicians. After studying in Europe, she returned to the United States to teach at the University of California, Davis. There, her signature approach to music making really blossomed. She has always performed music by traditionally underrepresented composers, but the extent of her advocacy has continued to grow. She also is a producer, storyteller, arts advocate, radio host and collaborator. — Valerie Kahler

LISTEN — Distinguished Rebels: Lara Downes

Germaine Tailleferre

Germaine Tailleferre was a power player in 1920s Paris as a musician and composer. She became the only female member of Les Six, a group of six composers who exemplified the modern French sensibility at that time. She attended the Paris Conservatory without the encouragement or financial support of her family, determined to learn and compose. Her music is known for its charm, wit, elegance and grace. — Katie Condon, Class Notes manager

LISTEN — Distinguished Rebels: Germaine Tailleferre