petrea_mitchell | 1/3/2023 Question of the day

Women Rock! Day: From the Supremes to Janis Joplin to Tori Amos to Billie Eilish, women have made their mark in the world of music. If you were putting together an all-female play list, list five performers who would absolutely have to be on it.

Women have even made their mark well outside of pop music, which seems to be the only real music in the mind of the person who wrote this question. I grew up listening to filk music and classical music.

Here is where I recall how many of my favorite performers have changed their gender identification. Two of the filkers I listened to as a kid are now recognized as trans men. Likewise, my top pick from the world of pop music would be Janelle Monáe except they have lately come out as nonbinary.

Let's start with Cecilia Eng. She's a longtime stalwart of the filk community, still identifies as female, and has not fallen down a right-wing conspiracy hole or anything as far as I can tell. I think I'll also add Juanita Coulson, who has a vocal quality unlike any other I've ever heard.

For classical music, most of the names that spring to mind are conductors and/or composers. I suppose I could bring Angela Morley in on a technicality, since she started as a performer in brass bands, but that feels like too much of a stretch. Besides, you've already heard some of her work, I guarantee it.

How about Maggie Sansone of Ensemble Galilei, since I do love early music.

Since at this point we have thrown out any pretense of going with all Great Women and are just about music I like, I'll pretend I have a recording of Jean Ziaja (pronounced "ZAY-juh") to add. As a kid I was regularly taken to see G&S performances by the Lamplighters, and I always felt drawn to the battleaxe sorts of characters that Ziaja was usually playing at the time.

One more. Okay, let's go to my current interests and pick Sakamoto Maaya, one of the most famous signer-actresses in anime. Done!