Sarah Cahill is not only a brilliant classical pianist. As a producer, researcher and commissioner of new works, she also works to ensure that the lesser-known great talents of the classical music world — in particular female and non-white composers — are recognized and celebrated.

One of her newest and most ambitious projects, which had to be put on hold during the pandemic, is “The Future Is Female,” a ritual installation and communal feminist immersive listening experience featuring more than seventy compositions by women around the globe, ranging from the 18th century to the present day. The experience also includes new works, many commissioned by Cahill herself. Sarah performs an evening-length recital version of the event, but when the venue is right, she also performs a marathon-length version that can last from four to seven hours, with audiences encouraged to come and go as they please. She was due to perform the marathon version at the Barbican in London when the pandemic hit. In the 2021-22 season, though, many venues, including the Barbican, will have the great fortune of being able to experience “The Future Is Female.”

In this interview with Rob Kramer and Pier Carlo Talenti, Cahill describes how she embarked on her mission to make the classical music canon more inclusive and why it may be surprisingly simple. As she explains it, all it takes is curiosity, because the music of the overlooked talents speaks very clearly for itself.