Royal College of Music graduates create innovative database spotlighting women in music

Wednesday 28 June 2023

The Corelia Project is a new database which increases the visibility and searchability of music by women composers. 

Royal College of Music (RCM) graduates Magdalenna Krstevska and Sophie Glenny have created the Corelia Project, a database with a focus on music by women composers. Users can find composer profiles, a repertoire library and listen to curated playlists as well as search the database by composer nationality, dates or ensemble type. It currently focuses on wind repertoire, and in particular solo, chamber and concerto music, but is constantly evolving and the goal for the project is to eventually encompass as much repertoire as possible.

They have also established a concert series programming some of these works, the first of which takes place on 6 July 2023 in The Old Church, Stoke Newington. The launch of the concert series is supported by the RCM Accelerate Grant which provides start-up funding for selected students who have just graduated as they launch their careers, helping to kick start a creative project.

Diana Roberts, Head of Creative Careers Centre, commented: ‘Having witnessed the development of the Corelia Project since its inception, Magdalenna and Sophie have reached this most admirable landmark through their combined passion for, and dedication to, the rise in prominence of overlooked female voices in the classical music world. It is through initiatives such as the Corelia Project that meaningful change becomes possible.’

The idea for the initiative was born in 2021, while they were postgraduate students in performance at the Royal College of Music. Sophie Glenny comments: ‘We gathered lots of information about women composers during our studies and we kept building on this foundation by reading biographies, seeking out recordings, and exploring websites of living composers.’

Magdalenna Krstevska, who went on to complete an Artist Diploma in Performance as a Mills Williams Junior Fellow at the Royal College of Music, added: ‘We were fortunate to be supported by the Royal College of Music Accelerate Grant to launch the Corelia Concert Series. Having the RCM’s backing gave us the confidence to formulate more ambitious ideas for the project and make the most of the support that the RCM Creative Careers Centre offers.’

Find out more about the Corelia Project or book tickets for the inaugural concert on 6 July.

Find out more about the Creative Careers Centre.