Guest Post by Penka Kouneva

On August 15, Los Angeles Philharmonic will present a concert titled “America in Space” at the Hollywood Bowl. This one-night-only event will celebrate the achievements of American space travel and will feature film clips with live orchestra, archival footage, and a special guest speaker from Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.

It will also screen a special short documentary about NASA’s 50 women astronauts; an excerpt from “Hidden Figures” about the African-American women mathematicians who were instrumental to the success of NASA’s early flights, Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson; and a scene from “Gravity,” which sees a stranded female shuttle pilot fighting to survive. “America in Space” will also feature a woman composer — me.

I organized this multimedia concert because I saw an opportunity for inclusion. In 2016 I was commissioned to compose the music for a new attraction at the Kennedy Space Center, “Heroes and Legends.” I attended Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Florida, with my family and was deeply moved by the women astronauts’ presence on the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. Knowing that the moon landing anniversary was coming soon, I conceptualized a concert featuring my own music as well as women astronauts on the screen. In that sense, “America in Space” is a first-of-its-kind event setting a precedent for inclusivity on the concert stage.

For instance, since the concert would feature music composed by women, it would be going against the industry trend. Classical orchestral concerts are the most conservative field of entertainment: 98.2 percent of the repertoire is the great European tradition of white men composers. Inclusivity is extremely infrequent and is often limited only to “special events” around International Women’s Day or Black History Month.

“America in Space” is also designed to remind audiences that “astronaut” is not synonymous with “man.” In order to spotlight women’s achievements in space, I commissioned Falcon’s Creative Group to create a short film celebrating the contributions of all 50 American women astronauts — and I scored it.

We don’t pay these 50 women anywhere close to enough attention, but they — like their male counterparts — are heroes. They displayed courage, discipline, teamwork, and willpower, and they sat atop seven million pounds of explosives for the sake of science and progress. Women have been pilots on a number of Shuttle missions, including the Columbia and Discovery (Pamela Melroy and Eileen Collins). Women have worked for and on the Hubble Telescope (Nancy Grace Roman, Kathryn Sullivan) and in the International Space Station (Peggy Whitson, Anna Lee Fisher). Women made up half of NASA’s 2017 class of astronauts.

You’d think, with our culture’s love of space stories, there would be plenty of women-driven narratives about astronauts or the space race. But, actually, the media is still catching up on representing women in space, with only two iconic films, the aforementioned “Gravity” and “Hidden Figures.” (Another, Michelle Williams-starrer “The Challenger,” is on the way.) The available documentaries on women astronauts are slim pickings as well. There’s a dry, scientific 1981 doc, and a recent, six-minute Facebook video created for International Women’s Day — that’s about it.

I created “America in Space” to remind the audience of the unsung female heroes of space — and to encourage our communities to always be creating opportunities for inclusion. It could be organizing a panel with participants from diverse backgrounds, hiring women for creative jobs in entertainment, or designing gender-balanced events. Every effort brings us closer to our goal of equality.

I am exceptionally thankful to Michael Alexander, CalTech’s Director of Events, and Los Angeles Philharmonic for supporting my vision to include women both on the screen and on the program bill. LA Phil is known for its its forward-looking programming, outreach, and community engagement — now it’s a leader in inclusion as well. By featuring works by women composers and celebrating the achievements of women astronauts, I hope to inspire the young women in the audience to achieve their dreams.

Penka Kouneva is a Hollywood composer. Her studio credits include the “Prince of Persia: Forgotten Sands” video game, “The Mummy” VR game, and a $30M multimedia exhibit, “Heroes and Legends,” at the Kennedy Space Center. Her film scores include the features “Devil’s Whisper” and “Encounter,” along with festival favorites “Aga” and “Dead Roses.” Kouneva has received a Sundance Fellowship, the Distinguished Duke Alumna prize, two Ovation Awards, and the Recognition Award from Game Audio Network Guild. Her albums have been released by Varese Sarabande and Universal Music.