GAIA duo

Gaia are Alice Allen and Katrina Lee. A cello and violin duo dedicated to championing the work of unheard and unseen female composers of the past.

Their experiences as professional classical musicians led them to question whether the patriarchal conventions of their industry deny women creative privilege, and to look back at the history of these traditions. Working with a researcher through National Libraries of Scotland resources the duo have found a rich seam of music believed to have been written by women in 18th-century Scotland, many simply credited to anonymous ‘young ladies’. They are now arranging and performing this music, giving these composers’ lives and works the attention they deserve. GAIA’s vision is to give voice to the unheard and unseen female composers of the past, while supporting their female contemporaries through cross-genre collaboration and performance.
With the rise of equality and gender neutral approaches in society such as 50/50 workplaces and equal pay, do our classical traditions tie us to an outdated patriarchal social system where women are excluded from creative privilege?

GAIA aims to set the stage for pacified and subdued female voices to be seen and heard.