Cappella Clausura Presents: 3 Cantatas by Fanny Mendelssohn, Boston

Their "heavenly voices...exhibit impeccable unison tuning, liquid dexterity, and an ensemble tone color which, forgive the cliché, is pure gold," according to the Classical Voice New England. And to hear them, Boston Globe says, is to "eavesdrop on paradise." But the vocal ensemble of Cappella Clausura is more than a choral group. Its members are musicologists, introducing modern audiences to the often unheralded works of women composers from the last twelve centuries. Even their name pays tribute to this mission—"Cappella Clausura" is a reference to the cloistered nuns of 17th century Italy who formed the first community of recognized female composers, and the phrase serves as a metaphor for the cultural obstacles creative women have faced throughout history.

Led by master choral conductor Amelia LeClair, the core of eight to twelve male and female singers serenade audiences with masterworks of the middle ages that many listeners will likely hear for the first time. Past programs have illuminated the music of medieval times, the Italian Baroque, and the Renaissance, and have included the works of Hildegard von Bingen, perhaps the first woman to compose an opera, and Mariana von Martines, dubbed "the female Mozart" for her impeccable taste in buckled shoes.