Classical is here defined as composers coming from a classically-trained/academic background or attitude making music that is scored and intended to be performed by others: concert music, orchestral music, chamber music, choral music, opera, etc. This also includes more experimental/avant garde offshoots from the classical tradition: aleatoric or indeterminate music, minimalism, postmodern composition, graphic scores, spectral music, etc. While the list is focused on composers of “contemporary” music, I’ve also included some classical composers who lived and worked in the early part of the 20th century; while their music may sound more conventional by current standards, they deserve recognition as pioneers in their own right.

A

Katy Abbott (Australia) | Keiko Abe (Japan) | Rebecka Sofia Ahvenniemi (Finland/Norway) | Adrienne Albert (US) | Kathryn Alexander (US) | Jennifer Allum (UK) | Laura Andel (Argentina/US) | Beth Anderson (US) | Lotte Anker (Denmark) | Ellen Arkbro (Sweden) | Clarice Assad (Brazil/US) | Elizabeth R. Austin (US) | Ana-Maria Avram (Romania)

B

Joanna Bailie (UK/Belgium) | Elizabeth A. Baker (US) | Jen Baker (US) | Renée Baker (US) | Malin Bang (Sweden) | Jennifer Margaret Barker (Scotland/US) | Elaine Barkin (US) | Teresa Barrozo (Philippines) | Carola Bauckholt (Germany) | Amy Beach (US; 1867-1944) | Eve Beglarian (US) | Mary Bellamy (UK) | Barbara Benary (US) | Hanna Benn (US) | Heather Bentley (US) |  Katherine Bergman (US) | Jennifer Bernard (US) | Lauren Bernofsky (US) | Ragnhild Berstad (Norway) | Tiziana Bertoncini (Italy) | Kari Besharse (US) | Johanna Beyer (Germany/US; 1888-1944) | Lisa Bielawa (US) | Annesley Black (Canada/Germany) | Susan Blaustein (US) | Alison Blunt (Kenya/UK) | Rose Bolton (Canada) | Victoria Bond (US) | Leila Bordreuil (France/US) | Susan Botti (US) | Linda Bouchard (Canada/US) | Lili Boulanger (France; 1893-1918) | Nadia Boulanger (France; 1887-1979) | Anne Bourne (Canada) | Stephanie Ann Boyd (US) | Anna Brake (US) | Gena Branscombe (Canada/US; 1911-1977) | Kitty Brazelton (US) | Jane Brockman (US) | Monica Brooks (Australia) | Margaret Brouwer (US) | Eliza Brown (US) | Elizabeth Brown (US) | Stacey Brown (Canada) | Irene Buckley (Ireland) | Svjetlana Bukvich (Yugoslavia/US) | Jennifer Butler (Canada) | Monique Buzzarté (US) | Madelyn Byrne (US)

C

Susan Campos-Fonseca (Costa Rica/Spain) | Camilla Cancantata (UK) | Emma Carlé (New Zealand) | Teresa Carreño (Venezuela; 1853-1917) | Angélica Castelló (Mexico/Austria) | Augusta Cecconi-Bates (US) | Wendy Mae Chambers (US) | Cécile Chaminade (France; 1857-1944) | Dorothy Chang (US/Canada) | Yu-Hui Chang (Taiwan) | Ching-Wen Chao (Taiwan) | Carolyn Chen (US) | Mary Ellen Childs (US) | Unsuk Chin (S. Korea/Germany) | Rebecca Clarke (UK/US; 1886-1979) | Ann Cleare (Ireland/US) | Anna Clyne (UK/US) | Gloria Coates (US) | Valerie Coleman (US) | I’lana Sandra Cotton (US) | Renée T. Coulombe (US) | Lisa Renée Coons (US) | Lindsay Cooper (UK; 1951-2013) | Eleanor Corey (US) | Ellen C. Covito (Argentina) | Cindy Cox (US) | Ruth Crawford Seeger (US; 1901-1953) | Pascale Criton (France) | Chaya Czernowin (Israel)

D

Angela da Ponte (Portugal) | Hanne Darboven (Germany; 1941-2009) | Angharad Davies (UK) | Tansy Davies (UK) | Elizabeth Skola Davis (US) | Maria de Alvear (Spain/Germany) | Anne Dean Berman (US) | Eve de Castro-Robinson (New Zealand) | Marissa Deitz (US) | Beth Denisch (US) | Georgina Derbez (Mexico) | Jody Diamond (US) | Zosha Di Castri (Canada/US) | Natacha Diels (US) | Violeta Dinescu (Romania/Germany) | Lucia Dlugoszewski (US; 1931-2009) | Rose Dodd (US) | Kui Dong (China/US) | Emily Doolittle (Canada/US/Scotland) | Delphine Dora (France) | Judy Dunaway (US) | Christine Duncan (Canada)

E

Kaley Lane Eaton (US) | Sivan Eldar (Israel/US) | Bushra El-Turk (UK) | Marti Epstein (US) | Nomi Epstein (US) | Irina Escalante-Chernova (Cuba/US) | Judith Exley (New Zealand)

F

Elisenda Fábregas (Spain/US) | Maddalene Fagandini (UK; 1929-2012) | Thea Farhadian (US/Armenia) | Vivian Fine (US; 1913-2000) | Melika M. Fitzhugh (US) | Elizabeth Flunger (Italy/Luxemburg) | Alexandra Fol (Bulgaria/Canada) | Fátima Fonte (Portugal) | Iona Fortune (UK) | Jennifer Fowler (Australia/UK) | Gabriela Lena Frank (US) | Joan Franks Williams (US/Israel; 1930-2003) | Yvonne Freckmann (US/Germany) | Lori Freedman (Canada) | Ruby Fulton (US) | Ashley Fure (US)

G

Margarida Garcia (Portugal) | Alexandra Gardner (US) | Stacey Garrop (US) | Miriam Gideon (US; 1906-1996) | Janice Giteck (US) | Peggy Glanville-Hicks (Australia; 1912-1990) | Anne H. Goldberg (US) | Annie Gosfield (US) | Jennie Gottschalk (US) | Christina Green (Australia) | Lindsay Greene (US) | Andrée Greenwell (Australia) | Lene Grenager (Norway) | Maria Grenfell (New Zealand/Australia) | Beverly Grigsby (US) | Wendy Griffiths (US) | Rachel Grimes (US) | Sofia Gubaidulina (Russia/Germany) | Hildur Gudnadóttir (Iceland) | Lynn Gumert (US)

H

Juliana Hall (US) | Janet Hammock (Canada) | Amanda Harberg (US) | Elisabeth Harnik (Austria) | Sadie Harrison (Australia/UK) | Barbara Held (US/Spain) | Sarah Hennies (US) | Jennifer Higdon (US) | Rozalie Hirs (Netherlands) | Elizabeth Hoffman (US) | Lucy Hollingworth (UK) |  Adriana Hölszky (Romania/Germany) | Julia Holter (US) | Sungji Hong (S. Korea/UK) | Cat Hope (Australia) | Katherine Hoover (US) | Sarah Hopkins (Australia) | Anna Höstman (Canada) | Eva-Marie Houben (Germany) | Eleanor Hovda (US; 1940-2009) | Mary Howe (US; 1882-1964) | Rae Howell/Sunwrae (Australia) | Terri Hron (Canada) | Charlotte Hug (Switzerland) | Sarah Hughes (UK) | Melissa Hui (Hong Kong/Canada)  Anita Hustas (Australia) | Maya Hynninen (US/Finland)

I

Clara Iannotta (Italy/Germany) | Vera Ivanova (Russia/US)

J

Lina Järnegard (Sweden) | Barbara Jazwinski (Poland/US) | Joan Jeanrenaud (US) | Clarice Jensen (US) | Kerstin Jeppsson (Sweden) | Sofia Jernberg (Ethiopia/Sweden) | Sarah Jerns/Pan Pan (US) | Hermione Johnson (New Zealand) | Jenny Olivia Johnson (US) | Betsy Jolas (France) |  Victoria Jordanova (Serbia)

K

Laura Kaminski (US) | Yoko Kanno (Japan) | Ying-Chen Kao (Taiwan/US) | Vítězslava Kaprálová (Czech Rep./France; 1915-1940) | Beth Karp (US) | Laura Karpman (US) | Victoria Kelly (New Zealand) | Jin Hi Kim (S. Korea/US) | Paula M. Kimper (US) | Izumi Kumura (Japan/Ireland) | Mari Kimura (Japan/US) | k. kipperman (US) | Ronit Kirchman (US) | Rebecca Kleinmann (US) | Katharina Klement (Austria) | Amy Knoles (US) | Elizabeth Knudson (Canada) | Emily Koh (Singapore/US) | Barbara Kolb (US) | Justine Koontz (US) | Aviya Kopelman (Israel) | Mary Kouyoumdjian (US) | Veronika Krausas (US/Canada) | Morgan Krauss (US) | Yu Kuwabara (Japan)

L

Joan La Barbara (US) | Anne La Berge (US/Netherlands) | Diane Labrosse (Canada) | Sophie Lacaze (France) | Lori Laitman (US) | Bun-Ching Lam (China/US) | Catherine Lamb (US/Germany) | Esther Lamneck (US) | Liz Lane (UK) | Vanessa Lann (US/Netherlands) | Anne Lanzilotti (US) | Lina Lapelyte (Lithuania/UK) | Ana Lara (Mexico) | Andrea La Rose (US) | Libby Larsen (US) | Chris Lastovicka (US) | Clara Hunter Latham (USA) | Elodie Lauten (France/US; 1950-2014) | Mary Jane Leach (US) | Anne LeBaron (US) | Emilie Lebel (Canada) | Hope Lee (Canada) | Okkyung Lee (S. Korea/US) | Lee Pui Ming (China/Canada) | Dominique Le Gendre (Trinidad/UK) | Gratia Leitch (Canada) | Tania León (Cuba/US) | Shuying Li (China/US) | Vivian Li (Hong Kong/UK) | Ligia Liberatori (Argentina/Germany) | Christen Lien (US) | Aurélie Lierman (Belgium) |  Liza Lim (Australia) | Nicole Lizée (Canada) | Annea Lockwood (New Zealand/US) | Jennifer Logan (US) | Michelle Lou (US) | Alexina Louie (Canada) | Wang Lu (China/US) | Stefanie Lubkowski (US) | Elisabeth Lutyens (UK) | Dana Lyn (US) | Gilda Lyons (US)

M

Eden MacAdam-Somer (US) | Elizabeth Maconchy (UK; 1907-1994) | Michelle Agnes Magalhaes (Brazil/France) | Ester Mägi (Estonia) | Caroline Malonée (US) | Ursula Mamlok (Germany) | Bunita Marcus (US) | Jessie Marino (US) | Jess Marlor (US) | Patricia Martínez (Argentina) | Paula Matthusen (US) | Peri Mauer (US) | Mattia Maurée (US) | Melissa “Missy” Mazzoli (US) | Dosia McKay (US) | Priscilla McLean (US) | Jenny McLeod (New Zealand) | Joyce Mekeel (US; 1931-1997) | Joanne Metcalf (US) | Helena Michelson (Russia/US) | Katarina Miljkovic (Yugoslavia/US) | Cassandra Miller (Canada/UK) | Julia A. Miller (US) | Ann Millikan (US) | Cathy Milliken (Australia/Germany) | Ryuko Mizutani (Japan) | Polly Moller (US) | Barbara Monk Feldman (Canada/US) | Meredith Monk (US) | Jessie Montgomery (US) | Martha Mooke (US) | Beata Moon (US) | Kate Moore (US) | Joyce Solomon Moorman (US) | Jocelyn Morlock (Canada) | Zae Munn (US) | Nicole Murphy (Australia) | Pippa Murphy (Scotland) | Thea Musgrave (Scotland/US)

N

Candace Natvig-English (US/Germany) | Fernanda Navarro (Brazil/US) | Kate Neal (Australia) | Osnat Netzer (Israel/US) | Sara Neufeld (Canada) | Odeya Nini (US) | Makiko Nishikaze (Japan/Germany) | Kristin Norderval (Norway/US)

O

Carolyn O’Brien (US) | Aine O’Dwyer (Ireland) | Sarah O’Halloran (Ireland/US) | Suki O’Kane (US) | Jocy de Oliveira (Brazil) | Pauline Oliveros (US) | Tawnie Olson (Canada) | Cecilie Ore (Norway) | Christine Ott (France)

P

Cléo Palacio-Quintin (Canada) | Juliet Palmer (New Zealand/Canada) | Maria Panayotova (Bulgaria/US) | Milica Paranosic (Bulgaria/US) | Graciela Paraskevaídis (Argentina/Uruguay) | Hilda Paredes (Mexico) | Ivonne Paredes (Peru/US) | Susan Parenti (US) | Dorone Paris (Israel/Ireland) | Zeena Parkins (US) | Jessica Pavone (US) | Tina Pearson (Canada) | Hadas Pe’ery (Israel) | Sabrina Peña Young (US) | Barbara Pentland (Canada; 1912-2000) | Agnes Ida Pettersen (Norway) | Anna Pidgorna (Ukraine/Canada) | Kala Pierson (US) | Elizabeth Pizer (US) | Jocelyn Pook (UK) | Jeannie Gayle Pool (US) | Angelique Poteat (US) | Karen Power (Ireland) | Leanna Primiani (US) | Erica Procunier (Canada) | Marta Ptaszyńska (Poland/US)

Q

Jo Quail (UK) | Síobhra Quinlan (Ireland) | Cecilia Quinteros (Argentina)

R

Marci Rabe (Canada) | Eliane Radigue (France) | Lisa Ragsdale (US) | Shulamit Ran (Israel/US) | Nicole Randall-Chamberlain (Germany/US) | Maja Ratkje (Norway) | Elizabeth Raum (Canada) | Lauren Redhead (UK) | Wendy Reid (US) | Iden Reinhart/strië (Germany) | Patricia Ann Repar (Canada/US) | Belinda Reynolds (US) | Ailís Ní Ríain (Ireland) | Emma-Ruth Richards (UK) | Jane Rigler (US) | Sarah Rimkus (US/UK) | Sarah J. Ritch (US) | Carol Robinson (US/France) | Marcella Rodriguez (Mexico) | Lula Romero (Spain/Germany) | Katharina Rosenberger (Switzerland) | Diana Rosenblum (US) | Rebecca Rowe (UK) | Amy Rubin (US) | Anna Rubin (US) | Jessica Rudman (US) | Vivian Adelberg Rudow (US) | Elena Ruehr (US) | Elena Rykova (Russia/US)

S

Adriana Sá (Portugal) | Joana Sá (Portugal) | Kaija Saariaho (Finland/France) | Makiko Sakurai (Japan) | Diana Salazar (UK) | Jamie Leigh Sampson (US) | Eleonor Sandresky (US) | Kamala Sankaram (US) | Laurie San Martin (US) | Rebecca Saunders (UK/Germany) | Margaret Schedel (US) | Margrit Schenker (Switzerland) | Margo Schulter (US) | Laura Elise Schwendinger (Mexico/US) | Amy Scurria (US) | Julia Seeholzer (US) | Daria Semegen (US) | Juri Seo (South Korea/US) | Sila Shaman (Turkey/US) | Alex Shapiro (US) | Judith Shatin (US) | Caroline Shaw (US) | Kelley Sheehan (US) | Alice Shields (US) | Mieko Shiomi (Japan) | Verdina Shlonsky (Israel; 1905-1990) | Clare Shore (US) | Jen Shyu (Taiwan/US) | Arlene Sierra (US/UK) | Sheila Silver (US) | Faye-Ellen Silverman (US) | Netty Rothenberg Simons (US; 1913-1994) | Claire M Singer (UK) | Linda Catlin Smith (US/Canada) | Juliana Snapper (US) | Sarah Kirkland Snider (US) | Annika Socolofsky (US) | Ana Sokolovic (Serbia/Canada) | Kate Soper (US) | Suzanne Sorkin (US) | Ann Southam (Canada) | Asha Srinivasan (US) | Laura Steenberge (US) | Susan Stenger (US) | Ingrid Stölzel (Germany/US) | Kathleen Supové (US) | Kotoka Suzuki (Japan/US) | Chiyoko Szlavnics (Canada/UK)

T

Germaine Tailleferre (France; 1892-1983) | Tina Tallon (US) | Karen Tanaka (Japan/US) | Augusta Reed Thomas (US) | Karen P. Thomas (US) | Diane Thome (US) | Molly Thompson (US) | Anna Thorvaldsdottir (Iceland) | Nguyen Thanh Thuy (Vietnam/Sweden) | Serena Tideman (US) | Su Tissue (US) | Ushio Torikai (Japan/US) | Joan Tower (US) | Ewa Trębacz (Poland/US) | Nicole Truesdell (US) | Maayan Tsadka (US/Israel) | Tui St. George Tucker (US; 1924-2004)

U

Frances-Marie Uitti (US/Netherlands) | Alicia Urreta (Mexico; 1930-1986) | Galina Ustvolskaya (Russia; 1919-2006)

V

Carmen Claire Vanderveken (Canada/Netherlands) | Anneliese Van Parys (Beligium) | Nancy Van de Vate (US/Austria) | Cynthie van Eijden (Netherlands) | Christina Vantzou (US) | Stella Veloce (Italy/Germany) | Elizabeth Vercoe (US) | Marina Vesic´ (Serbia/Austria) | Lois V Vierk (US) | Leaha Maria Villarreal (US) | Lucie Vítková (Czech Rep./Germany) | Kirsten Volness (US) | Lenore von Stein (US) | Aleksandra Vrebalov (Yugoslavia/US)

W

Melinda Wagner (US) | Rachel C. Walker (US) | Jennifer Walshe (Ireland) | Hsiao-Lan Wang (Taiwan/US) | Jen Wang (US) | Elinor Remick Warren (US; 1900-1991) | Kristina Warren (US) | Dalit Warshaw (US) | Hope Wechkin (US) | Margaret Wegener (UK) | Judith Weir (UK) | Lotta Wennäkoski (Finland) | Bonnie Whiting (US) | Amy Williams (US) | Natalie Williams (Australia/US) | Jennifer Wilsey (US) | Julia Wolfe (US) | Kristina Wolfe (US) | Susan Maughlin Wood (US) | Linda Pearl Woolf (US) | Rain Worthington (US) | Mary Wright (US) | Wu Fei (China/US) | Yiheng Yvonne Wu (Taiwan/US)

X

Y

Reiko Yamada (Japan/Canada) | Carolyn Yarnell (US) | Ming-Hsiu Yen (Taiwan/US) | Chen Yi (China/US) | Beth Yip (US) | Gayle Young (Canada/US) | Katherine Young (US) | Miriama Young (New Zealand/Australia) | Nina C. Young (US) | Du Yun (China/US)

Z

Judith Lang Zaimont (US) | Cristina Zavalloni (Italy) | Cynthia Zaven (Lebanon) | Lidia Zielinska (Poland) | Ellen Taafe Zwillich (US)