Lumedia Musicworks celebrates composer Barbara Strozzi online

Music performance and comedic video will be available at no charge until 11:59 p.m. Feb. 2. Plano resident Jendi Tarde directed the video.

For the second of its four-part Early Women Composers series "Stories," Lumedia Musicworks celebrates the music and legacy of composer Barbara Strozzi. The comedic video history and performance is online now. There's no charge, but registration is required at http://www.lumediamusicworks.com/stories.

The event ends at 11:59 p.m. Feb. 2. Jendi Tarde of Plano directed the short video. The Dallas-based nonprofit committed to sharing music performed before 1750 filmed its latest performance in Celina.

Strozzi (1619-1677) was an Italian composer and singer in the baroque period. She wrote primarily for solo voice, and she was one of the most prolific composers in Italy. However, Strozzi and her music are largely forgotten.

Lumedia offers an example of her sacred works in a performance of "Salve Sancta Caro," ("Hail Holy Flesh"). Members are trained in musical practices of the time and their instruments are made to reflect those of the baroque period.

"Her music, extreme for the time, is compelling. It brings the listener along with unexpected twists and turns," said Julianna Emanski of Frisco, Lumedia's artistic director. "Her compositions have both power and intimacy. They are fresh and relevant to today's music lovers."