This coming Saturday night is the final concert of the season for Early Music Hawaii, May 19 at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu, 7:30 pm. I thought I was going to be “off the hook” for this concert, but as it turns out, I’ll be playing for the opera by Francesca Caccini—the first known opera by a woman and probably the first Italian opera ever performed outside Italy (Warsaw).

The concert will feature music for women’s voices — by women composers Kassia (810-c.867), Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179), Comtesse de Die (late 12th c.), Alba Tressina (early 17th c.), Raffaela Aleotti (1570-1646), Maria Xaveria Perucona (1652-1709), Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677), Chiara Margarita Cozzolani (1602-c.1678), and Francesca Caccini (1587-1645).

All the performers are women: Naomi Castro is the director, and the singers are: Karyn Castro, Naomi Castro, Sarah Lambert Connelly, Taylor Ishida, Mihoko Ito, Andrea Maciel, and Kari Magaruh. The instrumentalists are: Anna Callner (gamba), Sachi Hirakouji (organ) and myself on organ.

Ian Capps, the president of Early Music Hawaii, wrote these notes about the concert:

Very little precisely annotated music has survived from early medieval times, whether composed by men or women. As time progressed, women had to fight ever harder to gain well deserved recognition in male-dominated societies. But there is evidence that women were active and respected poets and composers in Byzantium during the first millennium, and the 12th century Abbess Hildegard von Bingen has long been celebrated for her visionary compositions in western Europe. Their important convents afforded them protection and a platform for their expression. Born into privileged society in 9th century Byzantium, Kassia provides an example. A poet, intellectual, composer and champion of women’s rights, she was apparently the leading candidate for marriage to the Emperor Theophilus, but after being passed over, continued to maintain a high political and intellectual profile from the convent she founded. Hildegard, also of high birth, entered the convent at the age of 14 and later became Abbess at a new convent on the Rhine. Her visions inspired poetry and music of remarkable imagery; she wrote scientific and hierographical works and corresponded with public figures, including emperors and popes.

In our scores, Ian included an article written by Candace Smith and Bruce Dickey, called “Who’s on Bass?” Apparently there is a veil of mystery on performance practice in the convents; the music written for and by the nuns often includes parts for tenors and basses, and the use of most instruments was officially forbidden in the convents.

Well … the nuns could have used instruments in defiance of the authority of the church. The article says, “… it is unquestionable that this was sometimes done… most church authorities allowed an organ, a harpsichord for study purposes, and a viola da gamba to play the bass line… many nuns chose to play the bass lines on the trombone, with or without the consent of their superiors.” The nuns could also have transposed the bass parts to their own range.

But … many women can sing very low, including our very own Karyn Castro, who is back in Hawaii after her first year of grad school. She is singing the contralto part of Ruggiero—and was instructed to “sing it like a guy!” She’s sounding absolutely great—as well as the rest of the singers.

It’s been four years since our last Triumph Against the Odds concert. You can read all about it here: Total Triumph and here is a picture of the group from 2014.

About Saturday night’s ensemble, you can read this from the program:

The Early Music Hawaii Choir was formed in 2013 as a group of young professional singers under the artistic direction of the late Carl Crosier. The core group has since appeared in separate guises as a full chorus with orchestra, as a chamber ensemble, and in its form today as an all-women’s ensemble to perform the wonderful special repertory of women composers from the 9th to 17th centuries. From time to time, members move on to other challenges, including on the mainland, and new singers join. The rigorous training in early music vocal performance instilled by Carl is passed on to new singers by the example of those more experienced, with the key elements of a firm, clean blend and minimal vibrato.

Tickets for Saturday’s concert are available at the door, or online at earlymusichawaii.com.