About the Festival

The eighth annual international Music by Women Festival will be held March 7-9, 2024 on the campus of the Mississippi University for Women. The festival will feature concerts of new and historic music written by women composers historically as well as in the present day.

From the Artistic Director

Dear festival participants,

It gives me great pleasure to welcome all of you to the Eighth Annual International Music by Women Festival hosted by the Mississippi University for Women.

I hope this festival will serve as a catalyst for dialogue, future collaborations, and performances. I am passionate about sharing this music with the world and making sure it is recorded in history. After the conclusion of the festival, I hope you will join me in continuing this mission in your local communities, and wherever your travels may take you.

The previous seven festivals brought this project into the international spotlight and helped contribute to programming diversity in concert halls around the world. I am excited to share with you the eighth annual festival and look forward to seeing the effect it has on our field!

I believe we all dream of a future when works by women are part of the classical music performance canon, and each concert, whether a solo recital or an orchestral performance, will feature music by women composers. However, until that dream becomes a reality, it is important to highlight this music in order to inspire future performances, facilitate its further study by music students, and ignite the interest of the general public.

Thank you for doing your part and supporting this historically important endeavor. Whether you are a presenter, performer, composer, student, professor, independent musician, or music lover, your participation in this event truly helps recognize and pass on to the next generation the important works written by great artists.

Once again, thank you for your part in this festival and I look forward to meeting each and every one of you!

Julia Mortyakova, D.M.A.
Artistic Director, Music by Women Festival
Professor and Chair, Department of Music
Mississippi University for Women

2024 Sponsorship Opportunities

The Music by Women Festival is now seeking sponsors for 2024. With 250+ participants—representing musicians from around the world—anticipated to attend the Eighth Annual International Music by Women Festival and significant press coverage prior to and following the event, this is a great opportunity to gain prominent visibility amongst the foremost leaders in music globally. If you or your organization is seeking visibility, consider sponsoring a major festival event, or showcasing your organization in our festival program.

Interested? Please contact us by December 1, 2023. For more information about specific sponsorship packages and opportunities, please contact us at musicbywomen@muw.edu or find additional information on this website.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the festival, please contact:

Julia Mortyakova, D.M.A.
Director, Music by Women Festival
Mississippi University for Women
Email: musicbywomen@muw.edu