CLARON MCFADDEN – CONCERTO DELLE DONNE [NL]

Claron McFadden, soprano • Līga Zīrina, soprano • Gaia Alelí Szames, soprano • Isabel Negrín, harpsichord

The American soprano Claron McFadden invites three talented young women to travel back in time to the Court of Alfonso di Ferrara and pay homage to a special group of women, the Concerto delle Donnе (lit. ’consort of Women).

The Concerto delle Donne was a group of professional female singers, founded by Alfonso II, Duke of Ferrara in 1580. These musicians were renowned for their wide vocal range and highly ornamented, florid style of singing. This “consort” (sometimes referred to as the Three Ladies of Ferrara) revolutionized the role of women in professional music in the 17th century. Women were openly brought to court to train as professional musicians, and by 1600, a woman could have a viable career as a musician, independent of her husband or father.  

Claron McFadden is an acclaimed and versatile singer specialized in Renaissance and contemporary music. McFadden has worked with big names such as William Christie, Fabio Biondi, Jörg Widmann, Michel van der Aa, and The Arditti Quartet as a soloist. She is also a much-appreciated soloist at the prestigious Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Bayerische Staatsoper, and the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London. She is a returning guest at the Dutch National Opera. 

In 2006 she received the Amsterdam Prize for the Arts and in 2020 she was honoured as Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau. In November 2021, she performed at DNO in the role of Princess Vixen in How Anansi freed the Stories of the World.