Join us for our concert “An Extraordinary Innovation," which celebrates the accomplishments of the virtuosic professional women singers in the Ferrarese concerto delle donne. We're thrilled to once again be joined by guest sopranos Crossley Hawn and Julie Bosworth who bring their immense artistry to this wonderful music.

Suggested Donation: $15-20

About the program:

Amateur women had performed in the Court of Ferrara for some time, and in the early 1580s, Duke Alfonso II hired highly-skilled professional women singers to entertain his elite guests. Singing works by Luzzasco Luzzaschi, these extraordinary women were immediately successful, garnering a wide audience and commanding astonishing performance fees.

Music for three virtuosic sopranos quickly became a trend in various Italian courts and remained popular throughout the seventeenth century. Courts competed with one another to win the best singers, and composers were commissioned to write new music for them. Our program includes works by Luzzaschi, Claudio Monteverdi, Barbara Strozzi, Luigi Rossi, and Francesca Caccini that were inspired by performances given by Laura Pevarara, Anna Guarini, and Livia d’Arco, the most renowned sopranos in the Ferrarese concerto delle donne.