WAM! is a group of women playing experimental music written by living women composers. The mission of WAM! is to bring a voice to the women involved in new music at Oberlin, promoting and giving a platform for the talented young women who are involved in this genre. The mission is also to increase public knowledge about the long tradition of women in the worlds of new music, so that a male-dominated history of this relatively new field does not ensue. WAM! meets weekly to rehearse, and has performances throughout the year. The group has produced a wide spectrum of music since 2007, when it began. WAM! has commissioned works by and performed with composers such as Miya Masaoka, Pauline Oliveros, and Bevin Kelley. The group has also opened for rock acts like Deerhoof; they performed an experimental opera with performance artist Sarah Paul at the Cleveland Museum of Contemporary Art; they opened up the Riot Grrrl Night festivities at Oberlin, celebrating Sarah Marcus’ book Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution.
WAM!: Women and Art Music
