ELNA – Equality Library for Nordic Art Music is an initiative to develop and maintain an international online database of works by women and gender minoritized (including non-binary) composers from the Nordic countries, within the genre of Western Art Music.
This collaborative project is led by KVAST in partnership with organizations and individuals across Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Once completed, the database will be run jointly by institutions across the Nordic region. It will serve as a practical tool for concert programmers, music venues, performers, teachers, amateur musicians and other stakeholders in the global art music sector to discover and access repertoire by Nordic gender minoritized composers. Playable sheet music will also be made available.
Our goal is to use this database to promote a more balanced and equitable representation of composers within art music programming—both in the Nordic countries and internationally. By increasing the visibility and accessibility of these works, we aim to support more women and gender minoritized composers in developing sustainable, professional careers.
In addition to promoting individual composers, the database and its marketing efforts will showcase the Nordic region as a global role model for gender equality in the arts. We anticipate a positive impact on performance frequency, institutional awareness, and public appreciation of gender diversity in art music.
We are continually expanding our network and welcome collaboration. If you are interested in joining or supporting the project, please contact project manager Sofia Sahlin at sofia.sahlin@kvast.org.
