In the 18th century, the orphaned girls of the Ospedali were unlikely stars in the rich musical firmament of Venice. And yet, tourists and luminaries alike crowded into their concerts, with writers like Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Charles Burney remarking on their sophisticated and touching performances. SalonEra delves into the fascinating history of Venice’s Ospedali with baritone/scholar Lisandro Abadie as our enthusiastic guide. Archival performances including an all-woman rendition of Vivaldi’s Gloria from Early Music Vancouver round out this unique episode.

When it comes to understanding what music of the past may have sounded like, original instruments can sometimes be our best teachers. Host Debra Nagy draws from “her rolodex of superb musicians” for this episode that puts special focus on woodwinds in the Classical era. Chamber music for oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and horn by Mozart, Reicha, Krommer, and others reflect shifting aesthetic values, experimental technologies, and newfound virtuosity.

A Baroque musician, Ottoman music enthusiast, and multi-instrumentalist, Daphna Mor guest curates this episode exploring connections between east and west. As the Ottoman empire reached the zenith of its power in the 17th and early 18th century, a craze for Turkish art and music swept across Europe. Reciprocal influence meant that European musicians including Dimitrie Cantemir and Wojciech Bobowski (also known as Ali Ufki) worked in the Ottoman empire composing new works and transcribing traditional music into western notation. Oud player Kane Mathis helps us understand the building blocks of Ottoman music and Turkish violinist and multi-instrumentalist Ceren Türkmenoğlu shares her fascinating and beautiful work, which inhabits both European and Turkish classical traditions.

SalonEra highlights queer artists working in the realm of Baroque opera, delving into how issues of representation, community, and queer love are reflected in the plots and vocal writing of 17th and 18th century works for the stage. Featured guests to be announced.

In recent years, the Haitian Creole song “​“Lisette quitté la plaine” has become a major part of baritone/scholar Jean-Bernard Cerin’s professional life. In this episode of SalonEra, Jean-Bernard traces the history of this song text and explores how the song shifts in meaning as it travels around the globe and is transformed by different musical communities. Through Jean-Bernard, “Lisette” becomes a lens through which we can explore the dynamic, fraught history of Haiti and its occupiers.

SalonEra partners with GRAMMY-nominated tenor Nicholas Phan to probe the question “Is Bach’s music for everyone?” Drawing on tenor arias and interviews captured for Phan’s BACH 52 project, Nicholas, Debra Nagy, and a range of community members reckon with the complex social history of Bach’s music as well as its enduring resonance in their lives. Join us for this heartfelt and deeply personal exploration centered on one of the titans of baroque music: J.S. Bach.