Musicians of the Ospedali

Abstract

In the 18th century, the orphaned girls of the Ospedali were unlikely stars in the rich musical firmament of Venice. SalonEra delves into the fascinating history of Venice’s Ospedali with bass-baritone/scholar Lisandro Abadie as our enthusiastic guide. Violinist Shelby Yamin reveals the inspiring music and singular life of Maddalena Laura Sirmen, an 18th century alumnus of the Ospedale San Lazzaro dei Mendicanti. Soprano Arwen Myers joins us to relate her experience performing in the 2017 live performances of Vivaldi’s Gloria originally produced and generously shared with us by Early Music Vancouver.