We're honoured to celebrate International Women’s Day by connecting our community with Diana Lawrence, Alexandra Olsavsky and Kaitlin Foley from Artemisia, the American all-women trio behind What Happens When a Woman? Their work continues to inspire our students and staff, reminding us of the power of women’s voices and the importance of asking courageous questions.

Why 'What Happens When a Woman?' Matters to QMC

The song’s empowering female-focused message aligns deeply with our mission and our values. At QMC, girls and women have the space and support to lead, to question, to rise – and to wear the crown with pride.

Every day, we see what happens when our students step into their power: in classrooms and labs, on football fields and music stages, in leadership roles here and abroad. Their courage, resilience, integrity, generosity, and respect shape not only their own futures, but the future of the communities they will one day lead.

This commitment is woven through our Strategic Plan, which prepares our students for the world they will inherit – a world that needs confident, compassionate, and capable wāhine who can navigate complexity, uplift others, and lead with purpose.

What Happens When She Wears The Crown?

Our connection with Artemisia began with a shared admiration for a song that spoke directly to the QUEENDOM. That spark grew into a meaningful creative collaboration: What Happens When She Wears the Crown?, a video project that united students, staff, and alumni in celebration of wāhine and their strength.

Voces Luce, our premier choir, and Mark Stamper, Director of Choirs, worked with Artemisia to perform a special arrangement of the song. Renowned New Zealand filmmaker Charlotte Evans directed and edited a series of music videos featuring 79 QMC students, bringing the song to life in bold, unexpected ways. The result is a celebration of voice, vision, and the strength of women rising together.

These artists' messages remind us that this work is collective. It is about women lifting one another, asking courageous questions, and creating spaces where girls can see themselves as leaders.

Creativity and Collaboration

More than 93 students, staff and alumni were involved in the making of What Happens When She Wears the Crown? Through this project, our students experienced the rigour of a professional music recording studio and the energy of a real film set. They took on production roles and gained insight into creative collaboration and the fast‑paced world of filmmaking. It was a powerful reminder that leadership, creativity, and courage take many forms – both on screen and behind it.

This kind of hands‑on creative work is exactly what we are preparing for in our Strategic Plan 2025–2028: Watch It Happen. As we look to the future, our Campus Master Plan includes developing a purpose‑built Creative Industries Centre – a space designed to support the skills, technologies and creative pathways that will shape the world our wāhine are stepping into. Find out more about the Creative Industries Centre and how our community can help make it happen.

If you’d like to experience the creativity, confidence and leadership that shaped this project, join a Tuesday Tour and see what happens when she wears the crown.

Learning from Artemisia

We are excited to deepen our connection with composers and musicians Artemisia – Diana, Kaitlin, and Alexandra. Their artistry, their questions, and their vision offer rich learning for our students and staff. This March, our community will have the opportunity to further explore the song, its themes, and the women who created it.

Every Day is International Women's Day at QMC

International Women’s Day is a moment to celebrate, reflect, and uplift. But at QMC, this work continues long after 8 March. We stand with our wāhine, we champion their voices, and – as the song reminds us – we encourage them to lead with love.

We are one. We’ve just begun.