Consulting Services
Our consulting services can be used to find repertoire, program individual concerts, program entire seasons, get in contact with composers, and be used to find resources other than repertoire! If you need something, that’s where BI’s services come in.
Musicians, ensembles, teachers, professors, and presenting organizations all know the value of sharing works by a diversity of composers, but finding women and other gender-diverse composers for your event, program, or project is easier said than done.
While musicians and organizations may want to showcase repertoire by gender-marginalized composers, lack of advocacy for these composers in Western classical music makes it difficult to find the right women, trans, and/or non-binary composers for the job.
That’s where BI’s consulting services come in.
Here’s how it works:
Do you need specific repertoire, programming help for an entire season, starting points into looking for composers to commission, or resources other than repertoire? Fill out the form linked below to tell us about your needs.
Within five business days, one of our experts will reach out to you confirming the time and communication medium for your consultation meeting.
At the consultation, you will meet with a BI team member who will ask a few more questions about your scope and project, to help best set the consulting up for success.
Within 48 hours, you receive a quote with estimated research time and fee needed to complete this project, to which you can accept or decline. The time and fee is based on the project size, deadline, and type of organization or individual.
Our team does the research and stays in communication with you until you receive the final materials.
You will receive requested materials, an invoice, and a feedback form to complete the consultation process.
See FAQ below for more information.
Consultants
Dr. Laura Colgate
Strings & Orchestral Works
Dr. Joy-Leilani Garbutt
Organ/Keyboard & French Composers
Melissa Wertheimer
Woodwinds & Manuscript Form
Ashley Killam
General Consulting & Brass
“When I approached the Boulanger Initiative for their repertoire consulting services, I was deeply impressed by their level of expertise, attention to detail, and commitment to equitable research. Following the consultation, I received exactly what I needed in a very timely manner. The repertoire list they provided included all of the information we needed to help us program our upcoming season and recordings. I highly recommend this service to any arts organization looking to expand its repertoire with women and gender-diverse composers. Cannot recommend it enough.”
“Thank you to Boulanger Initiative for your help finding unusual chamber scores by gender diverse composers! I appreciate your willingness to find music from before 1970 for beginning and intermediate musicians. Your recommendations helped me make our music library collection more comprehensive. I know your work is enlarging performance repertoire in the U.S. Thank you for everything you do.”
FAQ
What kind of composers do you research?
We provide repertoire consulting primarily on women, trans, and non-binary composers of Western classical music throughout world history.
Do you have information on composers of other genres?
Our focus is on gender-marginalized composers in Western classical music. However, our database does include composers of Jazz and certain non-western traditions. If you fill out the form below with what you need, we can let you know if the genre you’re looking for is within our resources.
How can I trust that you are uplifting women, trans and non-binary composers of color, not just white women?
No woman is free until all women are free. We recognize this fact as one of our guiding principles and work to ensure gender-marginalized composers of color are thoroughly represented.
Am I guaranteed to get the repertoire I’m asking for?
Our team of experts is well researched on various topics regarding women and gender-diverse individuals throughout history. However, a few infrequent occasions where the repertoire you might be looking for is not available or extremely difficult to find.
For example, if you are looking for a specific LGBTQ+ identity in a time and place in history where that identity was suppressed, then we might not be able to find a record for you. In this case, the best we can do is either speculate guesses on composers’ identities based on their biography or expand our scope to get as close as we can to what you’re looking for.
I need repertoire within a few days, is there a rush option?
Please indicate when you need your repertoire in the form below, and we will try our best to accommodate your needs. That said, we cannot make any guarantees for consultation requests less than two weeks in advance.
How much does this service cost?
We try our best to ensure that our services are affordable to everyone. That said, prices do vary depending on your circumstance.
For students, teachers, and freelancers, we are happy to offer a pay-what-you-can service.
For other individuals, ensembles and institutions, please fill out the form to schedule a consultation, after which we can provide a quote.
Our organization wants regular consultations. Do you offer packages?
Yes! Please reach out to the Database Director at emorin@boulangerinitiative.org to discuss a custom package deal.