Mansfield Magazine: Lumedia Musicworks highlights baroque composer Barbara Strozzi

The online concert and video is part of Lumedia's Stories series about women composers.

Source: Mansfield Magazine

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 debuts Friday, Jan. 8, online. There’s no charge for tickets, but registration is required at http://www.lumediamusicworks/stories.

The event ends at 11:59 p.m. Feb. 2. The host is historical storyteller Elaine Scholly of Dallas. 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, like most female composers of her time, Strozzi and her music received little attention and they are largely forgotten.

Lumedia offers an example of her sacred works in a performance of “Salve Sancta Caro,” (“Hail Holy Flesh”). “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.”

The Dallas-based nonprofit is committed to sharing music written and performed before 1750. Members are trained in musical practices of the time and their instruments are made to reflect those of the baroque period.