Early Music Missouri brings its Women’s History Month concert to East Central College a few weeks early with a program of music by four women musicians active through the 17th and into the 18th centuries. Francesca Caccini was a renowned singer whose songs follow the model of her father, Giulia Caccini. Barbara Strozzi, a singer and composer, published eight collections of vocal music in her lifetime—more than any of her male contemporaries—and is perhaps the best-known woman composer of the Baroque era. As a nun, Isabella Leonarda composed primarily vocal music, but this concert presents her one solo violin sonata. The program also includes several works for keyboard and solo violin by Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre who achieved fame at the French court as a prodigy.
The program continues Early Music Missouri’s close collaboration with the Music Department at East Central College. The program features performers who have appeared numerous times on the ECC campus. The ensemble includes sopranos Arianna Aerie and Samantha Arten, Baroque violinist Celina Boldrey, Baroque cellist Stephanie Hunt and harpsichordist Sarah Bereza. This ensemble of Early Music Missouri’s women has invited lutenist and Early Music Missouri Director Jeff Noonan to join them on theorbo.
The free concert will take place on February 13 at 4:00 PM in Hansen Hall Room 105 in the Anglin Performing Arts Center on the East Central Campus, 1964 Prairie Dell Road, Union, MO. Free parking, available immediately adjacent to the Arts Building, includes multiple handicapped spots. The performance space is accessible for those with special mobility needs. The concert is open to the public and admission is free.
Early Music Missouri is the region’s foremost promoter and presenter of Early Music concerts. Its performances feature Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque repertoire performed on period instruments by expert performers from the region and nation.
