Freeing the Muse

Fieri Consort are acclaimed for their vivid and imaginative interpretations of renaissance and early baroque music, known for their finely blended sound and connection to text.

Presented on International Women’s Day, Freeing the Muse, explores renaissance ideals of beauty through the eyes and voices of women. Featuring solo music and five-part madrigals by Maddalena Casulana, Raphaella Aleotti, and Francesca Caccini, the programme reveals how 16th- and 17th-century women were not merely the muses of male artists, but talented creators in their own right.

In celebration of International Women's Day, Fieri celebrate the courage, artistry, and inventiveness of women who made their creative voices heard against all odds.

The programme has been commissioned by BOZAR in Brussels in response to an art exhibition that will run in Spring 2026. During the concert the ensemble will also present readings from significant writers in these musical circles such as Tullia d’Aragona, Lucrezia Marinella (whose writing inspired the title of their recent Casulana album release The Excellence of Women) as well as female poets writing about love and sexuality, Louise Labé and Sappho.