The Birth of Opera in Renaissance Italy
Virtual Wednesday Lecture, on Zoom
by Debra Cheverino
The efflorescence of artistic genius, vitality and versatility in Renaissance and Baroque Italy profoundly shaped the course of Western civilization. Art, architecture, literature, music, science and philosophy converged in a time and space beginning in the late 14th century. Most of the musical forms, harmonic language, musical notation and the instruments we still use today were first developed on the Italian peninsula. A unique set of circumstances and developments in leading Renaissance cities such as Ferrara, Venice and Florence led to the emergence of a new art form in the late 16th century, when opera was born in Italy. The history of opera is as involving and convoluted as anything you would see on the theatrical stage!
South African born conductor Debra Cheverino gave her first public performance as a conductor was at age 15 in a California state competition, conducting her own composition.
In 2001, Cheverino became the first woman ever to win a first prize in an international conducting competition in Florence. She received a Fulbright grant to assist Zubin Mehta at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentina. In 2007 she conducted the "Donne in Musica" concert in honor of Zubin Mehta with the Solisti Fiorentini di Maggio Musicale Fiorentina recreating the "orchestra di donne" tradition of late Renaissance opera in Florence. Still based in Florence, she continues to be in high demand for concerts round the world, working with many of the leading orchestras and conductors of the world
To join this lecture with Zoom (no reservation necessary), simply click on this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86172200549?pwd=RjU5d1hDNmkrd1kxcDkySFFQMnVEQT09 at 18:00 on Wednesday 17th March.