Tempesta Di Mare To Present LE DONNE MUSICALI: ITALIAN WOMEN’S MUSIC FROM THE BAROQUE
The concerts are part of Hidden Virtuosas, Tempesta’s ongoing project exploring the music and history of the Venetian Ospedali.
Tempesta di Mare, the Philadelphia-based baroque orchestra, will present LE DONNE MUSICALI: ITALIAN WOMEN’S MUSIC FROM THE BAROQUE February 27 through March 1 at venues throughout the Greater Philadelphia area. The program will also be performed March 26 in Venice and March 28 in Florence, Italy.
The concerts are part of Hidden Virtuosas, Tempesta’s ongoing project exploring the music and history of the Venetian Ospedali, the network of charitable institutions that trained generations of highly accomplished female musicians during the baroque era.
The program features vocal and instrumental works by Agata Cantora della Pietà and Anna Bon, alongside music by Antonio Vivaldi, Francesco Gasparini, and Nicola Porpora written for named women of the Ospedali.
Performances will feature mezzo-soprano Gabriela Estephanie Solís with Tempesta di Mare Chamber Players, including Gwyn Roberts (recorder and flute), Emlyn Ngai and Francis Liu (violins), Lisa Terry (cello), and Richard Stone (lute).
The three arias by Agata are drawn from her setting of Psalm 133, Ecce nunc benedicite. Surviving materials include alto and bass vocal parts and select instrumental parts; missing sections have been reconstructed by Tempesta co-director Richard Stone for these performances and the ensemble’s earlier North American premiere in November 2025.
Anna Bon, enrolled at the Pietà at age four, later became a composer and performer at the Esterházy court in Eisenstadt, Austria. The program includes an aria recently discovered in the archive of the castle of Český Krumlov in Southern Bohemia. Her works reflect the musical style of her era and her familiarity with composers including Joseph Haydn.
The program also highlights music composed by Gasparini, Porpora, and Vivaldi during their tenures as instructors at the Ospedali, underscoring the central role women musicians played in Venice’s musical life.
Performance Schedule
Friday, February 27, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.
Christ Church Christiana Hundred
Saturday, February 28, 2026 at 7:00 p.m.
Trinity @ 22nd
Sunday, March 1, 2026 at 4:00 p.m.
Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill
Additional performances:
March 26, 2026 – Venice, Italy
March 28, 2026 – Florence, Italy
Tickets
Single tickets range from $40–$50, with discounts available for full-time students and youth. Tempesta di Mare is an Art-Reach ACCESS Partner; ACCESS Card holders may purchase up to four tickets for $2 each using code “ACCESS” or by calling (215) 755-8776.
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