In the 18th century, the orphaned girls of the Ospedali were unlikely stars in the rich musical firmament of Venice. And yet, tourists and luminaries alike crowded into their concerts, with writers like Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Charles Burney remarking on their sophisticated and touching performances. SalonEra delves into the fascinating history of Venice’s Ospedali with baritone/scholar Lisandro Abadie as our enthusiastic guide. Archival performances including an all-woman rendition of Vivaldi’s Gloria from Early Music Vancouver round out this unique episode.

Episodes stream free from their premiere date thru June 30, 2023 at salonera.org/watch-now. Or listen to the audio-only version of this episode on the SalonEra podcast, available on all platforms!