Mohammed Fairouz

The number of female composers represented in the programming at America's top orchestras is dismal — less than 2 percent. Guest essayist Mohammed Fairouz proposes one provocative solution.

To say that you're writing a symphony today is a statement, especially for a young composer like me. The challenge is to find just the right way to commandeer the age-old form, to render it fresh and vital once again within an American context.

Two of my symphonies represent that ...