Mary Ellen Kitchens

Mary Ellen Kitchens, musicologist and conductor (choir and orchestra), is a member of musica femina münchen and has been on the Governing Board of the Archives of Women in Music (Archiv Frau und Musik, AFM in Frankfurt, Germany) since 2013, lobbying continually for the inclusion of compositions by women composers on concert programs and on the stage. As a partner in the German Digital Women’s Archives (DDF) online portal projects, the AFM has successfully begun to present parts of its collection online. In 1991, she took on a position as a music archivist at the public service Bavarian Broadcasting (Bayerischer Rundfunk – BR), going on to lead the Audio Archiving department there from 2004 to 2015. Currently, she coordinates the Content Management and Digitalisation department at the BR. She has also worked as a consultant for the Deutsche Welle Akademie since 2004, accompanying audio digitization projects in Vietnam, Nepal, Sri Lanka and, since 2017, Burkina Faso. Inspired by the diversity and parity discussions, which have now reached the field of classical music, Mary Ellen Kitchens focuses on creating varied and innovative programs for the ensembles she leads (Orchesterverein Kempten, Rainbow Sound Orchestra Munich, Women’s Orchestra Project Berlin, Rainbow Symphony Cologne, Munich International Choral Society and the Regenbogenchor München). She has commissioned and premiered a number of new works for choir as well as for orchestra.