Tenth Muse Initiative has released its analysis of the diversity of 2025 Australian orchestral seasons. Looking at the representation of both female and male composers and living and historical composers over the year, soprano and producer Hannah Lee Tungate is “cautiously optimistic” about this year’s findings, shared on the womenscomposersproject Instagram.

An aerial shot of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra.
The Canberra Symphony Orchestra. Photo © Martin Ollman

“One of the biggest takeaways from the 2025 data is that progress is continuing, but it’s uneven across the orchestras. Overall, works by women made up 14.6 percent of programming in 2025, an increase on 2024’s 11.9 percent after a dip from 13.2 percent in 2023,” Tungate tells Limelight.

“While this is encouraging, it still highlights how...