The final post of my Women’s Orchestra Series examines an orchestra much closer to home: UK-based string orchestra, Her Ensemble.
The orchestra was founded in 2020 by Ellie Consta and is the most recent women’s orchestra to be founded, and the first women and non-binary orchestra. Consta founded the ensemble for various reasons, the first being that in 2019, just 3.6% of classical music pieces performed worldwide were written by women. Another reason was to merge aspects from classical and pop scenes, to “take things I loved from both, combine them, and put my own spin on things”. Therefore, Her Ensemble is a “free-form group which seeks to address the gender gap and gender stereotypes in the music industry”, while also bringing “music to a wider audience, who might not have had the privilege to experience classical music before”. As such, performances have a relaxed feel, with “players interacting with audience, using artistic lighting, welcoming drinks in, using fashion as a means to encourage self-expression, and doing away with rigid rules and outdated traditions in order to make this accessible to everyone”.
Her Ensemble strives to create comfortable and supportive spaces for women. They aim for women and non-binary people to feel like they can “take up space and be too much and show up any way that is authentic to them”, thus providing “something that’s not competitive, something that is instead, collaborative with womxn, uniting and supporting each other and ultimately, just sharing good music”. Through improving representation, they also highlight female role models who do not have to compete for just one space but can help each other.
These goals are also reflected in how the orchestra contributes to women’s roles in the music industry and society, with Her Ensemble placing a huge emphasis on what they can offer as a womxn’s orchestra. For example, their social media doesn’t only promote Her Ensemble, but also womxn composers, the gender gap, fellow musicians, and gives space to their followers to share their own experiences of gender discrimination in the music industry. They have collaborated with Donne, Women In Music to highlight the work of female composers, and joined Pixie Lott, End Youth Homelessness and the Body Shop in a 2020 performance raising awareness about UK female homelessness. As such, they are not only a “driving force in challenging the music industry’s gender stereotypes” through “subverting gender norms, encouraging people to question the status quo”, but also help advance women’s roles and lives in society as a whole.
Her Ensemble have already shown commitment to improving representation, but they have been questioned about whether focusing on womxn can inadvertently reinforce inequality and segregation. In response, Consta states that she doesn’t want to be “singling out already marginalised people”, but argues there is a need to highlight womxn because “historically [gender] has mattered. Womxn were non-existent from most orchestras until the 1960s”. In another interview Consta admits the annoyance of having to specify “female composers” to show the issue, but hopes “one day there’ll be a real gender balance in the music we’re taught, the music that’s performed…Until then, I think there’s a real need for women to take up more space generally”. She also states that “things obviously need to change from the grassroots, but I also feel like there’s room for so much more change now. I don’t want to be passive for fear of making a mistake. It’s about making space for each other”.
The chance to take up more space is just one opportunity Her Ensemble provides. According to John Shortell, head of EDI at Musicians’ Union, “[Her Ensemble’s] approach to tackling gender inequality is intersectional and truly inclusive”. They not only offer female and non-binary musicians the opportunity to play innovative music at the highest level, but also showcase the works of female and non-binary composers, enabling composers and arrangers to have their works performed. Within the organisation they also ensure equal participation and decision-making. According to Consta, they “have a WhatsApp group for if there’s anything, they ask, or I ask”, meaning the ensemble runs more like a band than a structured institution, letting everyone share out the jobs and have their say. Primary financial data is not publicly available, but the ensemble’s commitment to equality in other aspects of the organisation suggests this would also extend to salaries.
Her Ensemble also give significant precedence to safety. Consta is very aware of the problematic behaviours and attitudes present in the music industry, including the “binary gendering of instruments and concert clothes”, encouragement of “patriarchal behaviours”, “laddy drinking culture” and “erasure of queerness”. She concedes that “in the classical music world we like tradition. But where’s the cut-off point? Is it really necessary if it’s harmful to people?”, especially with a “very easy change to make that automatically includes loads of people” such as removing a dress code. Consta also draws attention to other difficulties, such as the “aversion to femininity” and “gender gap in positions of power”, causing people to take a woman less seriously or ignoring her ideas until they are stated by a man. For Consta, “creating safe spaces where ppl can express their emotions freely is vital to creating meaningful art that genuinely connects people, rather than this false concept that music is a competitive sport and trying to one up each other by playing the ‘best’ or loudest or fastest”. As such, she refers to “really enjoying the collaborative atmosphere within the ensemble…It’s the most fundamental part of our ethos. Collaboration and supportiveness”.
Her Ensemble was founded with a full commitment to sustainable gender equality, with Consta hoping that the group will “continue to grow and evolve” as times change. The fact they already include non-binary people (the first women’s orchestra to do so) shows how progressive they are and open to moving with the times, but this is also apparent in their decision-making processes. The group has “a mix of people who discuss decisions and adapt initial ideas”, changing positions within the group for different perspectives and ensuring everyone feels valued. According to Consta, sustainability can be achieved through “not being stuck in a box…What started off as one idea I had, has grown and developed into a group venture. We’re all taking on different aspects of the admin, brainstorming together as a group and working as a team which I love”. Additionally, Consta believes that to continue improving inclusivity, “we need to speak up for those whose voices aren’t being listened to”. These goals and openness to development are encouraging signs that Her Ensemble can be a socially sustainable organisation, but to succeed they must also be economically sustainable.
One important way of achieving economic sustainability is through critical acclaim. Her Ensemble has faced criticism, such as Geoff Brown’s review in The Times, though this often commented more on the venue than the ensemble. He claimed that “the total result, inevitably, was rather scrappy, with soulful playing losing some potency by a glue shortage in the group’s bonding…even an audience squatting on the floor deserved something more”. However, the use of the word “inevitably” suggests he had already made his mind up even before the concert, and with promising reviews from other reporters, Her Ensemble will be confident in the support they are gaining.
This support is also demonstrated by their followers on Instagram (6,124), TikTok (1,655), Facebook (975) and X (970). As a free-form group combining aspects of pop and classical music, Her Ensemble create multiple avenues to garner support and funding. They have received funding from Arts Council England, The Marchus Trust, Euyo and Help Musicians, while recent collaborators and partners include nkoda, All saints, Classic FM, Musicians’ Union and Spitfire Audio. They also receive profits through merchandise and from interviews and recordings, such as with BBC, Netflix, African Concert Series, International Youth Music Festival and local musicians. Furthermore, in November 2022 they gained recognition as Classic FM’s “Young Classical Stars” and led masterclasses and workshops at Chetham’s School of Music, Royal Academy of Music, European Union Youth Orchestra, Royal Northern College of Music and Leeds Conservatoire. The fact they are a chamber group rather than a full symphony orchestra places less strain on their finances, though they still ask for donations to “create meaningful change for the future”. The expansive use of channels and connections to gain funds suggests Her Ensemble are currently economically stable, and sustainable in future if they can preserve that support.
Her Ensemble are only four years old, yet their prioritisation of social goals ensures they enact gender equality sustainably. This is supported by a wide range of funding avenues, which should provide them with economic sustainability if they continue on their current path of gaining sponsorships and attracting new audiences.
Therefore, of all the orchestras I have examined this year Her Ensemble are a best-case example for proving that women’s orchestras are needed today to improve pay, opportunities, representation and safety, particularly for womxn facing double discrimination. They can also work alongside policies, education programmes and mixed ensembles to strive for true gender equality in the music industry. These partnerships are essential to the sustainability of women’s orchestras. Through cooperation, openness, diversity of funding sources and adaptability, women’s orchestras can be socially and economically sustainable, both within themselves and through influencing social sustainability externally.
If you’ve enjoyed these blog posts over the last year, please feel free to get in touch to ask more about women’s orchestras or request my full dissertation to read, which conducts a full case study analysis between Her Ensemble and Cleveland Women’s Orchestra.
References:
Abrami, Esther (2022). Esther Abrami – Women in Classical Episode 12 with Ellie Consta [YouTube]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5Dertjc5NU (Accessed: 14th August 2023).
Anderson, Christine (2023). ‘Campaign for Female Mediocrity’, Musician’s Union. Available at: https://musiciansunion.org.uk/news/campaign-for-female-mediocrity#:~:text=Representing%20and%20advocating%20on%20behalf,do%20for%20women%20in%20music (Accessed: 6th June 2023).
Brown, Geoff (2022). ‘Her Ensemble review – the UK’s first women and non-binary string orchestra didn’t quite gel’, The Times. Available at: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/her-ensemble-review-the-uks-first-women-and-non-binary-string-orchestra-didnt-quite-gel-d36zd7khp#:~:text=The%20total%20result%2C%20inevitably%2C%20was,the%20ensemble's%20leader%20and%20founder (Accessed: 16th August 2023).
Consta, Ellie. (2021). ‘Interview: Ellie Consta (Her Ensemble – the UK’s first women and non-binary orchestra)’. Interview with Ellie Consta. Interviewed by Sam MacAdam for Snack Mag. Available at: https://snackmag.co.uk/interview-ellie-consta-her-ensemble-the-uks-first-women-and-non-binary-orchestra (Accessed: 9th August 2023).
Deller, Toby (2022). ‘Her Ensemble’s Ellie Consta on Music Without the Gender Norms’, Classical Music. Available at: https://www.classical-music.uk/features/article/her-ensemble-s-ellie-consta-on-music-without-the-gender-norms (Accessed: 14th August 2023).
Gillam, Jess (2023). This Classical Life: Jess Gillam with Ellie Consta [BBC Sounds] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001gtpb (Accessed: 14th August 2023).
Hallows, Ruth (2020). ‘Being the Change – Her Ensemble’, From a Cellist’s Perspective. Available at: https://www.fromacellistsperspective.com/post/being-the-change-her-ensemble (Accessed: 14th August 2023).
Her Ensemble (no date). [Instagram]. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/herensemblemusic/?hl=en (Accessed: 22nd November 2024).
Her Ensemble (no date). [Facebook]. Available at: https://www.facebook.com/herensemble/ (Accessed: 22nd November 2024).
Her Ensemble (no date). [TikTok]. Available at: https://www.tiktok.com/@herensemble (Accessed: 22nd November 2024).
Her Ensemble (no date). [X]. Available at: https://twitter.com/her_ensemble (Accessed: 22nd November 2024).
Her Ensemble (no date). About. Available at: https://www.herensemble.org/about (Accessed: 6th February 2023).
Her Ensemble (no date). Home. Available at: https://www.herensemble.org/ (Accessed: 15th August 2023)
Her Ensemble (no date). Shop. Available at: https://www.herensemble.org/merch (Accessed: 14th August 2023).
Her Ensemble (no date). Support. Available at: https://www.herensemble.org/support (Accessed: 14th August 2023).
Her Ensemble (no date). What’s On. Available at: https://www.herensemble.org/projects (Accessed: 14th August 2023).
Iftikhar, Asyi (2022). ‘TikTok violinist Esther Abrami on changing the landscape, and dress code, for LGBTQ+ people in classical music’, The Pink News. Available at: https://www.thepinknews.com/2022/10/30/esther-abrami-spotlight-interview/ (Accessed: 14th August 2023).
Musicians’ Union (2023). ‘MU Partners With Her Ensemble To Celebrate Women’s History Month 2023’, Musician’s Union. Available at: https://musiciansunion.org.uk/news/mu-partners-with-her-ensemble-to-celebrate-women-s-history-month-2023 (Accessed: 14th August 2023).
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