WELCOME!

EMPOWER: Women Changing Music is a UK-based initiative championing gender equity in classical and contemporary music. Founded in 2021 by musicians Sinéad Walsh and Hannah Seymour during their final year at the Royal Northern College of Music, EMPOWER was created in response to the persistent underrepresentation of women on concert stages, in commissioning, and across the wider music industry. What began as a single concert has grown into a national platform dedicated to ensuring women’s voices are heard, seen, and celebrated.

Through live performance, commissioning, advocacy, and community, EMPOWER creates meaningful opportunities for emerging performers and women composers. The organisation presents large-scale events across the UK and Ireland, premieres new works by women composers, and collaborates with leading ensembles, industry partners, and venues including Kings Place, the Royal Albert Hall, and the Royal Irish Academy of Music. Artists apply to take part, and each programme is curated to reflect the breadth of music championed by our growing community.

Central to EMPOWER’s work is building sustainable pathways that support artists beyond a single performance, fostering connection, visibility, and long-term career development. In 2024, EMPOWER launched its own commissioning award, OpusHER, which entered a new partnership with ABRSM in 2025.

Above all, EMPOWER exists to drive meaningful, lasting change. We support the artists of today, empower the trailblazers of tomorrow, and use our platform to help shape a musical landscape in which women’s voices are equitable, valued, and fully recognised.