STAGING (release/20250929.2)

This show belongs to the Adelaide Fringe 2022 season. This season is now over.

A painting of Barbara Strozzi who was an Italian singer and composer of the Baroque Period. In the painting she is wearing a white low-cut long sleeve top with a red skirt. She is pictured in front of a picturesque lake surrounded by green trees

A photograph of a group of people smiling. They are all dressed plainly in clothes that have long sleeves. A few women in the photo are wearing flower crowns on their head.

An icon image of Saint Hildegard von Bingen who was a German composer in the High Middle Ages. The image is bright yellow, with the icon painted in gold and red outlining.

A photograph of a group of people smiling. There a few people at the front of the group who are holding musical instruments or a bouquet of flowers. They are all dressed plainly in clothes that cover their arms and legs.

A black and white painting of Clara Schumann, a German pianist from the 18th century Romantic era. Her black hair is slick back into a bun. She is wearing a long sleeve black dress. She has a blank facial expression and is staring into the distance.

A photograph of a large white building with multiple windows that are evenly spaced apart on the front of the building. There is an insert image that shows the inside of the building which is a large empty room with a brown floor and features a metal ceiling framework.

An image of Beatritz de Dia on the left hand side. The text on the right hand side reads, ‘Beatritz, Comtessa de Dia (fl. 1175-1212?)’ ‘Renowned Italian trobairitz (female troubadour)’ in yellow text. The background of the image is maroon red.

The image features three individual paintings of Renaissance women displayed diagonally across from left to right. The text on the bottom right corner reads, 'Women Composers of the Renaissance & Baroque' in yellow text. The background of the image is maroon red.

A drawing of Fanny Mendelssohn, who was a German composer and pianist of the early Romantic era on the left hand side of the image and a painting of another Renaissance woman on the right hand side who is wearing a blue long sleeve dress with a red sash. Her grey hair is pinned back behind her head and she is holding a piece of paper in one hand.

900 Years of Women Composers

Share in one of history’s best kept secrets! Women have been composing beautiful music for 1000s of years, yet much has been hidden away until recently. Join Lumina for a showcase of choral music across the centuries. We start in the medieval era with C12 visionary Hildegard of Bingen & C13 Comtessa de Dia, then moving to the Renaissance with Maddalena Casulana and Vittoria Aleotti. Next stop the Baroque with music by Lucretia Vizana and Barbara Strozzi; then classical composer Maria Perucona and Romantic composers Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel, Clara Schumann, Melanie Bonis and Catharina van Rennes. We end with contemporary works celebrating Australian landscape and culture by Clare Maclean, Anna Pope, Rachel Sag & Saam Thorne. Due to COVID, there will be one performance only. Don't miss it!

Presented by: Lumina Vocal Ensemble

Founded in 1999, Lumina specializes in discovering and performing music that is rarely heard. Ranging from medieval gems to masterpieces of the Renaissance & later, Lumina has also established a niche nurturing Australian composers, including performing dozens of world premieres.
Based in Adelaide, Lumina has developed an international following via recordings and the internet. With 8 CDs published & over 200 tracks available online, Lumina is listened to by 100s of people every day & has over 1.7m views on YouTube. Medieval works are most popular, but contemporary Australian music is also getting steady exposure. This is what Lumina is about – sharing wonderful music with the world, seeking out moments of magic, challenging listeners with new ideas, & giving composers a new voice.