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Fair Oriana - A Secret Music

Name: Fair Oriana - A Secret Music
Start: 2026-02-15T14:30:00+00:00
End: 2026-02-15T14:30:00+00:00
Location: All Saints' Church

About

Fair Oriana are sopranos Angela Hicks, Penelope Appleyard and Lucinda Cox.
For this concert they will be accompanied by Tara Viscardi, Triple Harp; Harry Buckoke, Viola da Gamba and Jonatan Bougt, Theorbo.

Our next concert comes from 16C Ferrara, transporting you back in time to the dazzling courts of late Renaissance Italy, where a remarkable musical phenomenon took shape: musica secreta - music performed in private chambers for select listeners, rather than in public spaces. Formed around 1580 as part of Alfonso II d'Este's musica secreta, the concerto delle donne, an extraordinary ensemble of professional female singers, was at the heart of this world. Praised across Europe for their technical brilliance and expressive nuance, these women redefined what voices could do and inspired composers to pursue new expressive possibilities in vocal writing. Their dazzling artistry soon set a new standard for vocal music in Italy and reverberated through European courts.
This programme resurrects the spirit of those secret performances, celebrating works by the composers who wrote for these voices, alongside a contemporary response, weaving together centuries of creativity and female musical power. We celebrate their artistry with the music of Barbara Strozzi, Luzzasco Luzzaschi, Ricardo Rognoni and Giaches de Wert, as well as a modern work by Caroline Shaw, highlighting the beauty, intricacy and emotional depth of music written for three sopranos. From the private brilliance of the Ferrara court to the expressive innovations that continue to this day, the concert offers a journey through a unique and influential musical world.