It’s September 2021. Entering my final year of conservatoire at the Royal Northern College of Music, and there’s nothing going on. No opportunities to perform, and a strong sense of disillusionment amongst our cohort. Like so many people, I listened to a lot of music over the lockdowns, and realised that in my three years at music college, I had never once played a piece by a woman. I had always been a little feminist, with ‘Girls are Best’ by Sandi Toksvig being my childhood Bible, and my primary school public speaking debut was about women and the right to vote. The sad fact is that the world isn’t the same for women, and there were certain behaviours and attitudes towards myself and others during my studies that I wasn’t happy with. 

I had a like-minded ally in Hannah, as we really do sing from the same musical and personal hymn sheets. We saw a need and decided to take matters into our own hands and try something. So then EMPOWER was born, on the couch in our flat. 

We wanted to promote fairness and gender equality in the music industry, through live events showcasing emerging artists through performances of female music, alongside dynamic discussions. As two early career female musicians coming out of the pandemic, we felt it was our responsibility to create positive change in the industry we were about to graduate into.

Since then, EMPOWER has premiered over 25 new pieces of music by women, showcased over 200 performers, and grown to a community of over 1,100 followers. Now I study as a flute scholar at the Royal Academy of Music, with Hannah being an oboe scholar at the Royal College of Music, and EMPOWER has established itself as a platform for innovative and boundary pushing performances. We are just back from our first ever EMPOWER event in Dublin and our fourth one in Manchester, which were both incredible successes, and are feeling full of inspiration, positivity, and that special energy EMPOWER brings us. 

Our 2025 London event at King’s Place is particularly special as this will be our second annual event in the city and our first at such an iconic venue – it’s an absolute dream come true for us! The event will feature performances by five ensembles selected from a pool of 65 applicants, showcasing a variety of musical styles and genres, all composed by women. We’ll also be performing the London premiere of Abstraction, written by Molly France’s Arnuk. Molly was the winner of the inaugural OpusHER commission, a new award we launched to support emerging female composers last September, sponsored by nkoda. This year’s performers include a saxophone quartet, a string quartet with voice, a flute-viola-harp trio, a contemporary chamber ensemble, and a string ‘band’ and we can’t wait to hear them all shine on stage.

A highlight of each EMPOWER event is the panel discussion, where we bring together a diverse group of women in the music industry to share their experiences and insights. At the upcoming King’s Place event, we’re honoured to have an incredible lineup of panellists: Errollyn Wallen CBE, Jess Gillam MBE, Héloïse Werner, and Dr Leah Broad. These women are leaders in their respective fields, and we’re so grateful to have them to share their wisdom with our audience.

It’s hard to describe how transformational EMPOWER has been for us as early career musicians. We have learned so much in the process, and curating these events challenges us constantly, but has made us better musicians, and frankly better people. There are so many ups and downs when you run your own organisation, and learning to adapt and being solution based is essential. We have made plenty of mistakes and have taken many risks, but I firmly believe that you have to take risks in order to reap the rewards in the end.

We had no experience of budgeting, fundraising, presenting, or even organising when we started, and now we manage all the finances, host each event, and lead and manage our own team. Being performing musicians first and foremost means that we always put the music first, and the quality of the music at the events, performed by our emerging artists, is what makes EMPOWER special. 

Anyone can do what we are doing. I make that sound simple, and it’s definitely not, and is a huge amount of work and stress, but the feeling after the events is an indescribable mixture of pride, love, and true joy. If you have something you are passionate about, you can be an advocate! I truly believe we have so many more skills than we realise, and you can learn everything you need to know. 

I am so proud of EMPOWER and can’t wait to see how it continues to evolve. We’re excited for the future and for the community we’re building – one that’s inclusive, dynamic, and full of possibility. Music has the power for change, so join us, and let’s be a part of this movement together.

EMPOWER: Female Musical Icons is at Kings Place on 21 March. kingsplace.co.uk