Oy, keep saying I'm going to leave (and now I am going to) for work, but I look forward to seeing any responses I might get (over the next few days?)
The list in the first post in this musicstuffs blog (which I may add to but doubt I'll delete from- Zelenka needs to be there, I don't remember adding him) has some composers not perhaps familiar to you the reader. Please choose a few- not an unreasonable number, maybe no more than five?, I'll respond as I can over time - I'll see what I can do about giving my own take on their music, what works I like best, what their music is like, who they sound like...
(I assume you can refer to Wikipedia or similar sites for biography in most cases though not, it's true, all of them. If not, I'll give a bit of bio, too, and context.) If the project is of any interest, feel free to respond in message or comment with the one to five names and any "parameters" (bio or no bio, etc.)