Our aim is to launch an online database of works by gender minoritized (women and non-binary) composers from the Nordic countries in the art music genre.
The database will be maintained by parties in all the Nordic countries. It will be marketed internationally and be a handy tool enabling people in the worldwide art music sector – concert programmers, music venues, musicians and others – to find repertoire by Nordic gender minoritized composers. We also aim to provide playable sheet music.
This Nordic database will act as a tool for achieving a more equal repertoire in art music institutions. It will also enable more Nordic gender minoritized composers to be professionally active, since their music will be easily accessible all over the world.
The database and its marketing will also promote a positive image of the Nordic area as a worldwide role model for gender equality.
2019
The idea of creating a Nordic database for gender equality was raised at a KVAST board meeting.
2020
Swedish orchestras were contacted. Six contributed economically to the project and have since remained supportive partners: Nordiska kammarorkestern, Uppsala kammarorkester, Västerås sinfonietta, Musica Vitae and Malmö symfoniorkester.
2021–2022
KVAST, the Swedish Association of Women Composers, was awarded an Opstart grant from the Nordic Culture Fund to establish a steering group. A firm was consulted to give a bid for the construction of the database, and we increased the number of projects partners.
2023
An online seminar was conducted on September 7-8 with support from the Letterstedtska association, where the following took place:
New project partners were tied to the project: Swedish Musical Heritage, the Swedish Royal Academy of Music, the Faroese Composers’ Society and music distributor Tutl and the Norwegian Society of Composers.
A name for the database was proposed: ELNA – Equality Library for Nordic Art music.
We shared knowledge and discussed topics like historical music and the value of critical editions, the importance of going beyond the database itself to achieve statistical progress when it comes to gender equality, who are target groups are and how to reach them, where to find forgotten music by women composers and much more.
We are very grateful for the contributions by Ann-Charlotte Hell (Swedish Musical Heritage), Thomas Hustedt Kirkegaard (Edition-S), Petteri Nieminen, Håkan Sandberg (communications advisor) and Music Norway.
2024
On April 19th, a day-long seminar took place where the concept for the database was developed further.
Brainstorm session with graphic design firm Studio Disco Dominique concerning the database’s logotype and visual identity.
We discussed the role of historical music in the database, where to find forgotten works and the possibilities for securing playable editions.
One session was dedicated to what requirements potential users might have of the database. Who are our main userbase, how do we attract them and what constitutes a successful project?
The project’s internal structure was discussed, including how to collaborate internationally and secure funding.
2025
On april 23rd we launched a first iteration of ELNA. A proof of concept that is in constant development and that can give you a taste and a more tangible experience of what ELNA can be.