Concert : The virtuosa singer in the academies of early modern Italy

A concert of music by Giulio Caccini, Francesca Caccini, Claudio Monteverdi, Marc'Antonio Pasqualini and Barbara Strozzi Sopranos: Christina Birchall-Sampson, Amy Brosius Theorbo/Spanish guitar: Richard MacKenzie Early violoncelli: Tabitha Tuckett UCL Presentations: Amy Brosius University of Birmingham, Lisa Sampson UCL One of the outstanding features of Italian music and theatre culture in the late 16th and 17th centuries was the rise of the female virtuosa, or skilled singer, actress and performer. In some cases virtuose became stars on the public or court stage, but they equally attracted intense criticism and bans. This event presents music by some of the early virtuose singers, poets and composers, and explores contexts, protagonists and musical features. It brings new research perspectives by focusing on private, intellectual circles like academies, which were characteristic of this period and the setting of often less documented, but experimental performances and voices