In their time these women were celebrated. They wrote bold music performed before kings and in prestigious theatres and shaped the musical life of Europe. Yet in the centuries that followed, their names faded from the story.
This concert brings them back into the limelight.
At the glittering court of Louis XIV, the wildly talented Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre (1665–1729) was acclaimed by the public and her peers. In Florence, Francesca Caccini (1587–1640s) was at the heart of early opera scene in the city and wrote the first known opera by a woman in 1625.
In England, Elizabeth Turner (who died in 1756) and Elisabetta de Gambarini (1731–1765) challenged expectations, performing in public and publishing their own music at a time when this was considered inappropriate.
In Venice, the remarkable musicianship of the young women of the Ospedale della Pietà shaped the music of Antonio Vivaldi.
Today we celebrate their voices—bold, fierce and brilliant.
