Preston Hollow & Park Cities: Lumedia Musicworks Highlights Baroque Composer Barbara Strozzi

Source: Park Cities, Preston Hollow, Lake Highlands

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 https://www.lumediamusicworks.com/

The event ends at 11:59 p.m. on 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.”

Jendi Tarde of Plano directed the video.

The first Stories in October 2020 featured the work of composer Claudia Sessa. The next one will feature Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre and is scheduled to debut in April. The final video history and performance will feature Wilhelmina von Bayreuth’s work and is scheduled for May.

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.