ABOUT US
5th Wave Collective is a Chicago-based classical music ensemble dedicated to performing and promoting music by women and gender-nonconforming composers. Demonstrating their commitment to composers throughout classical music’s history, the Collective performs repertoire by composers such as Teresa Carreño, Clara Schumann, Florence Price, Augusta Read Thomas, and Aftab Darvishi. With a roster of over 110 musicians, 5th Wave curates concerts with configurations ranging from solo instruments to symphony orchestra, and performs in venues across Chicago, including recital halls, art galleries, community centers and restaurants. The Collective has performed works by 116 composers since its founding in 2018, and has gained recognition outside of Chicago with an invited performance at the Boulanger Initiative’s Women Composer’s Festival in 2019.
what does 5th wave mean?
Historians have said that feminism has progressed in waves dating back to the Women’s Suffrage Movement at the start of the 20th century. The push for equal voting rights is considered the first wave of feminism from 1848-1920. The second wave (1963-1980) focused on reducing inequalities in the workplace, normalizing sexuality, and expanding reproductive rights. From 1991 to the mid-21st century, the third wave focused on embracing individual diversity and acknowledging the intersectional nature of the movement. With recent political advances, and a global understanding of feminism, the fourth wave is underway. We seek to build upon this rich tradition, continuing to support and celebrate women artists and composers of all walks of life.
To learn more about the complicated nature of classifying the movement into waves, read here.
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