DOMAINE DE VILLARCEAUX
VOX FEMINAEVoices of Baroque Italy
sunday, june 14th 2026 - 17:00
KAPSBER’GIRLS
Alice Duport-Percier, soprano
Axelle Verner, mezzo-soprano
Garance Boizot, bass violla
Pernelle Marzorati, triple harp
Albane Imbs, theorbo, tiorbino, baroque guitar and conducting
Inspired by the controversial figure of Hieronymus Kapsberger, a brilliant lute virtuoso and prolific composer who was, however, criticised at the turn of the 17th century, the Kapsber’girls have named their ensemble after him.
Just like this musician, born in Venice, who travelled to Naples but made his career in Rome, they explore with Vox Feminae the journeys of female composers who travelled far and wide, crossing the borders of kingdoms as well as the barriers of social convention. From Antonia Bembo, who left Italy for France to escape a violent husband, to Barbara Strozzi, who established herself as an independent artist in 17th-century Baroque Venice, via Isabella Leonarda, who found fulfilment as a composer within the secluded world of a convent in Novara, their life stories shed light on so many facets of the female condition in 16th- and 17th-century Italy.
Between vocal virtuosity and the playfulness of plucked strings, a panorama of a not-so-distant elsewhere, from the canals of the Serenissima to the palaces of the Eternal City…
PROGRAM
VOX FEMINAE
ISABELLA LEONARDA (1620-1704)
Ad Arma
ANDREA FALCONIERI (1585-1656)
La mala spina, Corrente
FRANCESCA CAMPANA (1610/15-1665)
Amor se questa sera
Voi luci altere
FRANCESCA CACCINI (1587-1641)
Ch’amor sia nudo, canzonetta
HIERONYMUS KAPSBERGER (1580-1651)
Passacaglia
Corrente Quinta
Gagliarda Quarta
BARBARA STROZZI (1619-1677)
Che si può fare
Sonetto Proemio Dell’Opera, Mercè di voi
Godere e tacere, Gioisca
ERCOLE PASQUINI (1560-1619)
Toccata
ANTONIA BEMBO (ca. 1643- Paris 1715)
Habbi pietà di mè
In amor ci vuol ardir
ARTISTS
KAPSBER’GIRLS
The result of a passionate endeavour focused primarily on exploring pre-Baroque and Baroque repertoires, the ensemble was formed in 2015 on the initiative of Albane Imbs.
The Kapsber’girls seek a new approach to interpreting historical sources. Their name? It is a nod to one of the most famous Italian composers of the early 17th century: Hieronymus Kapsberger (1580–1651). They pay tribute to him on their debut album *Che fai tù?* (March 2020, Muso). The Kapsber’girls are also committed to bringing marginalised composers, forgotten forms and rare repertoires back into the spotlight. In 2025, their album Vox Feminae (Alpha Classics) cemented this approach: it pays tribute to six Italian female composers of the Seicento, figures of talent, courage and singularity in a world where women had little means of expression. (Diapason d’Or, TTT Télérama, Editor’s Choice and Best Album of 2025 by Gramophone and ***** Limelight). Since their inception, the Kapsber’girls have benefited from research and creation residencies, during which the quartet continues its artistic work and refines its identity through each project. Their concerts have been acclaimed by the press and have been performed at some of Europe’s most renowned venues and festivals: the London Festival of Baroque Music, the Brighton Festival (UK), Les Nuits de Septembre (Belgium), Fora do Lugar (Portugal), the Festival Radio France, the Festival de la Chaise-Dieu, and the Heinrich Schütz Music Festival (Germany), amongst others.
HAVE YOU HEARD FRANCESCA CACCINI?
Francesca Caccini (1587 – 1681)
Lasciatemi qui solo
Caroline Arnaud, soprano
Étienne Galletier, théorbe