An EARLY MUSIC DAY concert.

Helen Hancock (soprano), Yonit Kosovske (harpsichord) and Maura Ó Cróinín (recorder)

Travel with Galway Early Music back to 17th-century Italy and let the music of Barbara Strozzi, Girolama Frescobaldi and Biagio Marini bring some sun and warmth into your home.

Way ahead of her time, Strozzi was a pioneering woman of 17th century Venice: not only was she an outstanding soprano, she was one of the first women to publish compositions in her own name, while combining those roles with being a parent (and an unmarried one, by choice). As Helen points out “A female composer may not seem radical now, but women usually published under pseudonyms back then, as it was not considered possible for a women’s gifts to extend to composing. And bear in mind we still say “female composer” today. We no longer say “female doctor” or “female playwright”. Seeing female composers programmed in concerts needs to become the norm.” Helen looks forward to performing two wonderful cantatas, L’Amanto Segreto and Che si può fare, both of which speak of the torment of love.

The concert also includes a harpsichord solo piece by Girolamo Frescobaldi and recorder pieces by Frescobaldi and Biagio Marini, both contemporaries of Strozzi.

Galway Early Music is funded by The Arts Council and Galway City Council.