Santa Fe Women’s Ensemble to present 2023 spring concerts May 6-7. Photo by Ken Kirk 

SFWE News:

“The Wonder of Women: From Their Shoulders We Do Soar” is the theme for the Santa Fe Women’s Ensemble’s (SFWE) 2023 spring concerts at 3 p.m. Saturday, May 6 and Sunday May 7 at First Presbyterian Church at 208 Grant Ave., in Santa Fe.

Each performance is preceded by a prelude talk by Director Dr. Linda Raney at 1:30 p.m., with a question-and-answer period to follow.

Featuring a wide variety of powerful, inspiring pieces of which all the music and almost all the texts are by women, this concert repertory once again embodies the adventurous programming for which the Women’s Ensemble has become known.

Says Dr. Raney of her purpose in selecting this repertory, “For centuries, music by women has been ignored. This concert showcases contributions made by women from the 1100s to the present. Not only is this music important, it is also expertly crafted and has been great fun to learn and interpret. We can’t wait to share it with our Santa Fe audiences!”

The program begins with Katerina Gimon’s haunting and atmospheric arrangement of “O Virtus Sapientiae,” with both text and music by Hildegard von Bingen. The piece features a quartet of voices in the style of a Renaissance chant, with the remainder of the Ensemble supporting them in a cluster of chords.

Then, joined by talented cellist Dana Winograd, the Ensemble offers 17th-century madrigals by Venetian composer and singer Barbara Strozzi, “Le tre Gratie a Venere” and “O Maria,” as well as Florentine composer Francesca Cacchini’s “Aure Volanti.”

Eleanor Daley’s very charming “Three Poems from the Parlour” feature the creative result of a parlour game played by Jane and Cassandra Austen and their mother, Mrs. George Austen, in which each had the challenge of producing a text in which every line ended with a word rhyming with “rose.”

Next, the group moves into a set of contemporary pieces, with “Eagle Rounding Out the Morning,” a lovely and thought-provoking collaboration between Muscogee (Creek) poet Jo Harjo and composer Joan Szymco; the rhythmic “Jerusalem Luminosa” by Abbie Betinis, exploring visions of true peace; and another inspirational composition by Joan Szymco, this time with text adapted from the uplifting words of Eleanor Roosevelt, “The Beauty of Your Dreams.”

The following two evocative pieces sweep through many emotions and musical energies. “Warrior” by Kim Baryluk, using a chant by Stacy Howse, was written to “inspire diverse groups to unite and promote female empowerment.” “Breathe in Hope,” by composer Dale Trumbore, with text by Maya Jackson, is a call to action, written in response to the violent police killings of Philando Castile in Minneapolis and Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge.

This tribute to and by women concludes with Canadian composer and vocalist Katerina Gimon’s energizing and jubilant “All Together We Are Love,” with its underlying message that all of life on our planet is interconnected by our essential nature, which is love.

“The Wonder of Women: From Their Shoulders We Do Soar” Repertory

“O Virtus Sapientiae,” music and text by Hildegard von Bingen, arranged by Katerina Gimon
“Le tre Gratie a Venere” by Barbara Strozzi, text by Guilio Strozzi
“Aure volanti” by Francesca Caccini, text by Ferdinando Saracinelli
“O Maria” by Barbara Strozzi, text based on Ecclesiastes 24
“Adoration” by Florence Price, instrumental with Dana Winograd, cello, and Bill Epstein, piano
“Three Poems from the Parlour” by Eleanor Daley, texts by Jane, Cassandra and Mrs. George Austen
“Eagle Rounding Out the Morning” by Joan Szymko, text by Jo Harjo
“Jerusalem Luminosa” by Abbie Betinis, text by Thomas à Kempis
“The Beauty of Your Dreams” by Joan Szymko
“Warrior,” text and music by Kim Baryluk; chant by Stacey Howse, arranged and adapted by Natasha Blackwood
“Breathe in Hope” by Dale Trumbore, text by Maya Jackson
“All Together We Are Love,” music and text by Katerina Gimon

Tickets are $25 general admission, $10 for military/veteran and teacher/student, and can be purchased at www.sfwe.org or at the door.