This educational video provides a snapshot of history, exploring why so few female composers have attained the status as seminal composers that they deserve. Beginning with a historical survey of prominent female rulers and artists stemming back to the Middle Ages, this episode focuses on the lives and works of Louise Farrenc, Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel, Clara Schumann, Cécile Chaminade, Mel Bonis, and Amy Beach.

2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the 19th United States constitutional amendment, and the works of female composers are a central theme of the 2020 Manchester Music Festival.