The Portrait Players and Dame Emma Kirkby, an Honorary Fellow of Clare Hall, explore the rise of virtuoso women singers in late 16th century Italy, particularly singing in ensembles. The central focus is on the Concerto delle Donne of Ferrara, featuring three sopranos, initially performing as part of secret and exclusive courtly entertainments - the "musica secreta". Singing lavishly ornamented madrigals in varying combinations and often accompanying themselves, this group inspired many composers to write virtuoso music for upper voices, and spurred the creation of similar groups in other Italian courts, thereby increasing professional and societal opportunities for women. The programme features music written for those groups, by figures such as Luzzasco Luzzaschi and Claudio Monteverdi, but also works by women whose careers flourished as a result of this movement - Francesca Caccini and Barbara Strozzi.
