Feminale Conversations: Female Rage, Pink Quotas, and Shared Responsibility

In this episode, I speak with Margalith Eugster and Elisa Rumici about the first edition of the Feminale Festival Basel, held in April 2025. We talk about how this student-led festival at the Hochschule für Musik FHNW brought attention to female composers, institutional structures, and the necessity of sharing both responsibility and space in the musical landscape.


From blind concerts to panels on gender quotas and parenthood, from curating with care to navigating helplessness and female rage — we reflect on what it means to stay constructive, collaborate meaningfully, and imagine the future of a festival like Feminale.


🕒 Time Codes:00:00 Intro music from JAHRE DORA PEJAČEVIĆ – EINE FEMMAGE02:44 Organising Feminale & Christmas story time07:11 The idea of Femmage07:40 Music excerpt: Scherzo No. 2, Op. 14 by Clara Schumann, performed by Elisa Rumici👉    • Clara Schumann: Scherzo n 2 op 14 [Played ...  10:05 Discussing quotas, stereotypes & parenthood14:02 Composers and collaboration — the geographical aspect16:14 Lili Boulanger, Germaine Tailleferre, Clara Schumann, Fanny Hensel, and others18:20 Music excerpt from JAHRE DORA PEJAČEVIĆ – EINE FEMMAGE20:45 Blind concerts22:30 Helplessness as a present feeling — building islands24:09 Personal motivation: female rage and dignity27:57 Thoughts on the future of the Feminale29:32 Outro music from FEMINALE Hamburg – Hedwig Janko Trio Jazz Concert


🎶 Music featured in this episode:–    • FEMINALE - 100 JAHRE DORA PEJAČEVIĆ Concert  


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