Director Amelia LeClair leads the chorus and period instrument ensemble Cappella Clausura in an intimate look at two significant composers of the Italian Baroque:  Isabella Leonarda and Barbara Strozzi.  Leonarda composed some 200 sacred and secular chamber works, featuring some especially flamboyant writing for the violin.  Barbara Strozzi – perhaps the most commercially successful female composer of her time – brought the early Baroque song form to new heights with her deeply expressive and highly complex writing for voice.  Strozzi and Leonarda offers a rare chance to hear their music side by side, showcasing not only some of the greatest music written by women but the greatest music by any of the Baroque composers!  Strozzi’s intimate vocal works for 3, 4, and 5 voices offer sensual contrast to Leonarda’s astounding instrumental works for violins, theorbo, viola da gamba, and organ.  Special guest violinists are Jesse Irons and Gigi Turgeon.
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Cappella Clausura is an ensemble of sopranos, altos, and period instruments whose goal is to research and bring to light works written by women from the 8th century to the present day.  Their intention is to dispel the notion that there are not now nor have there ever been gifted women composers. While they perform music by all women composers, and champion living composers, they concentrate on repertoire by women in the cloister – clausura – during the Italian baroque period.  During this extraordinary time, women were allowed to express themselves spiritually and artistically, and to publish their own music.  History has been blind and deaf to these remarkable works; Cappella Clausura brings vision and voice to them.

Amelia LeClair received her Bachelor's in Music Theory and Composition from UMass Boston in 1975 and her masters degree from New England Conservatory in 2003, studying choral conducting with Simon Carrington. She made her conducting debut in Jordan Hall in March of 2002.  Ms. LeClair has directed children's choirs for Roberta Humez of First Unitarian Society in Newton, and George Emlen of Revels. She is now director of choirs at the Church of St Andrew in Marblehead, Director of Schola Nocturna, a compline choir at the Episcopal Parish of the Messiah in Newton, and director of Coro Stella Maris, a renaissance a cappella choir in Gloucester. She is the founder and director of Cappella Clausura. Tickets, $20 gen.adm; $15.students and seniors, may be purchased online via website, www.clausura.org  Info, contact Amanda Kell, Amelia LeClair 617-964-6609 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it