Ruth Gipps

Composer Ruth Gipps was a prolific and original figure who was only sparsely appreciated during her lifetime. She was also active as a conductor and, early in her career, as a pianist and oboist. At 26, Gipps became the youngest woman up to that point to receive a British doctorate in composition. In her early 30s, lingering effects from a hand injury Gipps had suffered as a preteen put an end to her career as a performer. After that, she continued to conduct but focused most of her energy on composition. Gipps wrote five symphonies, seven concertos, a great deal of chamber music, choral music, songs, and keyboard works. Recordings of more than 20 of her works were in the catalog as of the early 2020s, and her music was benefiting from the increased exposure given the work of women composers.