It all started when…

I grew up as the only female composer in my community. I was lucky enough to have supportive parents and teachers who encouraged me to keep writing, but it was easy to feel isolated and discouraged when I was constantly surrounded by male peers, or only performing works by men in school ensembles. It wasn’t clear to me that there was a place for young composers who didn’t fit into a certain demographic mold. Even when I got to college as a music composition major in 2009, I was the only female composer in the entire undergraduate class. It was clear to me then that homogeneity of the composition field was a widespread systemic problem, but it wasn’t until many years later that I was able to dream up one small way to help.

Fast forward to 2017, and I was teaching as an adjunct professor at Temple University. During a conversation with a freshman composer, she mentioned how discouraged she was to be the only female undergraduate in the program. That conversation brought back all of the feelings of insecurity and lack of belonging I had experienced when I first began my compositional journey, and it was discouraging to hear that the next generation was experiencing this same issue. I decided to try and build a community of young composers who would possess an inherent understanding of these concerns, and who could provide support to one another.

That’s when I decided to found the Young Women Composers Camp.

With the help of composers Cynthia Folio and Julia Alford, as well as countless staff members at the Boyer College of Music, our first program took place in 2018 on the Temple University main campus. We were thrilled to welcome guest composer Missy Mazzoli, as well as the ATLYS string quartet to premiere student compositions, and our students were able to study with myself, Cynthia Folio, and Sabrina Clarke. It was incredible to watch these young composers grow as musicians and form long-lasting bonds in front of my eyes, and I felt encouraged to see how meaningful our program was to them.

Our next year was just as exciting: we welcomed guest composers Jennifer Higdon and Andrea Clearfield, as well as members of the Philadelphia Orchestra. The program continued to improve as we incorporated student feedback into our planning.

When the pandemic hit, I knew we had to keep going. The community we were able to offer our students was needed more than ever.

We quickly transitioned to offer a 100% virtual program in both 2020 and 2021, and expanded our eligibility to include undergraduates and international students. We were thrilled to bring in composers inti figgis-vizueta, Flannery Cunningham, Tonia Ko, Bahar Royaee, Melissa Dunphy, and Niloufar Nourbakhsh to lead sessions and offer private lessons, as well as guest composers Gabriela Lena Frank and Courtney Bryan and performers from the International Contemporary Ensemble, Variant Six, the Peridot Duo, the Mazumal Duo, and the andPlay Duo.

I also expanded my team to include an incredible executive board, and we began engaging in discussions about our mission and future.

Over time, it became clear that our name was not inclusive.

We had always aimed to serve female, trans, and nonbinary composers, but that wasn’t evident from a name like “Young Women Composers Camp”. We began engaging in discussions with current and former students, faculty members, advisors, and external committee members about our name. How could we make our mission clear in our organization title? What could be on the horizon for us? It was a long (and sometimes arduous) process, but it felt important to get this right.

After over a year of discussions, we came up with the name Wildflower Composers. This name feels true to what I had imagined at the very start of all of this: a diverse, vibrant community where underrepresented composers can learn, listen, and belong together.

What’s ahead for Wildflower Composers?

To be honest? I’m not sure. I have personally learned so much from the composers who have come through our program, and I feel very lucky to be able to do this work. Wildflower Composers is still a young program, and there are still many possible avenues ahead to explore. No matter what that may look like, I know that I plan to keep listening to our students and wider community, and hope to continue to grow and expand our impact in the years to come.

Erin Busch
Founder and Executive Director
Wildflower Composers