Fire and Ice: The Music of Barbara Strozzi and Isabella Leonarda

Bird in Hand hosts early music group Basso Celestia during their spring 2025 tour! One of the group's founding members is your frequent Bird in Hand barista, Leah! The group will present an interactive concert of works by baroque Italian women. Donations to the group by Venmo will help support the future of Basso Celestia as we build towards a 501c3 status! But most importantly - we just want you there!

Barbara Strozzi and Isabella Leonarda were both prolific composers, and noted as two of the first women to publish collections of music under their own names. Featuring an assortment of sacred and secular soprano duets, this program is a journey of women speaking through women, of navigating the complexities of life, and of finding passion and strength in extreme emotions.

With Leah Wenger and Morayo Akande as featured sopranos, Katerina Kotar on baroque cello, and Cameron Kuzepski on harpsichord, we will be joined by guest artists along the way to bring this exciting music to life!

Sip on a coffee or a cocktail and enjoy the music of some amazing seventeenth century women! Books that feature women's history in the arts will be available to browse or purchase.

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Basso Celestia is an early music ensemble formed by young musicians dedicated to forging creative relationships with music and inspiring similar passions in others. The ensemble prioritizes intimate works for small ensembles, allowing exploration and performance of unusual or underperformed pieces that tell a story. This distinctive approach has been brought to audiences across the Mid-Atlantic region. In 2024, the ensemble embarked on a six-state, eight-performance tour featuring François Couperin’s Leçons des Ténèbres. Each performance consistently attracted robust audiences who enriched the concert experience with their presence and responsiveness. In the spring of 2025, Basso Celestia returns to some venues and adds a few more stops for a new concert series featuring the baroque Italian women Barbara Strozzi and Isabella Leonarda.

The interactive style that Basso Celestia uses not only entertains but also educates, bringing early music to life in innovative ways that resonate deeply with contemporary audiences. Leveraging fields such as art history, psychology, healthcare, historical dress and textiles, and religion, Basso Celestia transforms how early music is experienced, turning each performance into an opportunity for communal learning and enjoyment. Drawing upon expertise in diverse musical traditions, from French sacred music to Italian secular music and folk traditions of all kinds, the ensemble strives to create dynamic and varied programs that resonate across cultural boundaries and can be performed in many different types of venues. Basso Celestia is committed to nurturing a collective of musicians who are dedicated to curiosity and creativity, all while spreading early music education and appreciation within local communities.

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