Canzona Women's Ensemble

03/18/2026

Thank you all again for coming to enjoy our "Renaissance, Baroque, and Beyond" concert earlier this month! We love hearing your comments and kind words, and we look forward to performing for you again on November 1, 2026!

03/05/2026

Big shout-out to the incredibly talented Dave George for his outstanding work on bass at our Sunday afternoon concert! 🎻✨ Dave joined Canzona to accompany our performance of the "Magnificat," and he brought such depth and energy to the music.

Fun side note: Dave's wife, Jessica, is one of our wonderful Canzona sopranos! What a talented musical couple! ❤️🎶

Huge thanks, Dave—you made the performance even more special. We're so grateful!

03/01/2026

Artistic Director Jill Anderson is in her element conducting the final rehearsal before our "Renaissance, Baroque, and Beyond" concert tomorrow at 3 pm!

02/27/2026

It's almost time! Premium tickets are sold out, but 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲. We hope to see you on Sunday 🎶

02/24/2026

We have some incredible music prepared for you at our 𝑹𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝑩𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒒𝒖𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑩𝒆𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒅 concert next Sunday! As we enter concert week and prepare for the extra rehearsals leading up to our performance, we want to take a moment to thank you for your support and encouragement.

In the words of W. H. Auden, “The most exciting rhythms seem unexpected and complex, the most beautiful melodies simple and inevitable.”

We hope to see you next weekend!

02/22/2026

Know Before You Go - Concert Insights

"Litanies à la Vierge Noire," music by Francis Poulenc (text is a 20th-century French prayer)

Though we open the concert with the oldest composition on the program (the Medieval “Flos Regalis”), we close the first half with the most modern piece on our program: the "Litanies à la Vierge Noire" (“Litanies to the Black Virgin”).

Poulenc composed this piece in 1936, which he called “a date of primal importance in my life and career.” He had asked his friend Pierre Bernac to drive him to Rocamadour in the southwest part of France (the Dordogne). As he wrote later, “Rocamadour led me back to the faith of my childhood. This sanctuary, certainly the most ancient in France…is a place of extraordinary peace.”

Poulenc describes the simple chapel, hollowed into the rock, which shelters a figure of the Virgin carved in black wood by Saint Amadour. He writes,“The evening of the same visit to Rocamadour, I began my "Litanies à la Vierge Noire" for women’s voices and organ. In this work I have tried to express the feeling of ‘peasant devotion’ which had so strongly impressed me in that lovely place.”

Our Canzona singers revel in the wonderful three-part harmonies of this stunning piece, as well as enjoying the beautiful organ accompaniment played by our pianist Janis Johnson.

Concert: March 1, 2026, at 3 pm - San Luis Obispo United Methodist Church

🎶Tickets: https://my805tix.com/e/renaissance🎶

02/20/2026

Know Before You Go - Concert Insights

"Flos Regalis," anonymous 14th-century English

Canzona opens this concert with a very early piece indeed – an introit by an anonymous Medieval composer in honor of the Virgin Mary. It is a sprightly and very rhythmic three-part rondellus (round) that is almost dance-like. The interweaving parts are imitative and very polyphonic with a true “early music” sound. It calls to mind compositions by the very famous English composer John Dunstable, who was also working in the late 14th-century.

Hear "Flos Regalis" and more on March 1st at our "Renaissance, Baroque, and Beyond" concert!

Tickets: https://my805tix.com/e/renaissance

02/19/2026

Just 10 days until our spring concert! Do you have your tickets yet?

🎵Tickets: https://my805tix.com/e/renaissance🎵

02/19/2026

Know Before You Go - Concert Insights

"Salve sponsa Dei" and "O salutaris Hostia" - attributed to Leonora d’Este (1515-1575)

Canzona’s artistic directors search for unique repertoire from diverse sources around the world, and these beautiful 5-part compositions are no exception. They are 2 of 23 anonymous motets published together in 1543, and according to musicologist and Musica Secreta conductor Laurie Stras, can be attributed to Suor Leonora d’Este, the only surviving daughter of Lucrezia Borgia. Stras put the motets into a usable edition for modern singers and we were able to acquire them for today’s performance.

Lucrezia died when her daughter was only four, and Leonora was raised at the convent of Corpus Domini in Ferrara. At age eight, Leonora chose to enter the convent permanently and became abbess at the age of 18. She was highly educated with a deep interest in music and was allowed to develop that (unlike most women in the Renaissance). The resulting compositions were highly valued by the populace, and visitors came from afar to worship and hear the beautiful music at the convent. Although it is not proven that d’Este wrote these motets, Stras’ research shows clues that point to Suor Leonora as the composer.

Come hear these motets and more music from across the centuries at our concert on March 1st!

Tickets: https://my805tix.com/e/renaissance

02/18/2026

We can't wait to see you there!

Local women’s vocal ensemble presents March 1 concert in San Luis Obispo - https://atowndailynews.com/local-womens-vocal-ensemble-presents-march-1-concert-in-san-luis-obispo/77033/

02/17/2026

Know Before You Go - Concert Insights

"Magnificat" – by Isabella Leonarda (1620-1704)

Canzona was introduced to Isabella Leonarda’s “Magnificat” by Morna Edmundson, former Artistic Director of Elektra in Vancouver, Canada. Leonarda was the featured composer on their Women of the Italian Baroque concert in 2020, and for good reason.

Born in 1620, Leonarda entered the Collegio di Sant’ Orsola convent in Novara at the age of 16. By the time she was 80, she had written 20 books of music, including solo motets, sacred concertos for 2-4 voices, litanies, masses, and music for Vespers.

The “Magnificat” is also known as the “Canticle of Mary,” and the text is taken from the Gospel of Luke, where it is spoken by Mary at her visitation with her cousin Elizabeth. Leonarda’s setting is for 4-part treble voices with keyboard and two violins, and Canzona will close our concert with this lilting 10-minute piece.

Hear Canzona perform "Magnificat" and much more at our concert on March 1st!
Tickets: https://my805tix.com/e/renaissance

02/05/2026

We're delighted to share the story behind the beautiful art 🎨🖌we have paired with our upcoming concert, 𝑹𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒊𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝑩𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒒𝒖𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑩𝒆𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒅: 𝑀𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝐴𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑙𝑠 (𝐴𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑙𝑖 𝑀𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑖) by Renaissance master Melozzo da Forlì (c.1478–1480).

Originally frescoed on the apse vault of the Church of the Holy Apostles in Rome (commissioned by the future Pope Julius II), the masterpiece was dismantled in 1711 without much care. Thankfully, the surviving angel fragments — now treasures in the Vatican Pinacoteca — capture heavenly joy: youthful, golden-haired angels with serene gazes, rosy complexions, and flowing robes, joyfully playing lutes, violins, tambourines, and more.

Enjoy some examples from the Vatican collection!

What does 𝑑𝑖 𝑠𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑜 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑢̀ mean?

We are glad you asked! Literally meaning "seen from below," 𝑑𝑖 𝑠𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑜 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑢̀ was a drawing and painting technique introduced during the Renaissance period and highly favored by artists in the Baroque era. Melozzo's expertise in 𝑑𝑖 𝑠𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑜 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑢̀ perspective makes the musical angels seem to float and perform right above you — a true Renaissance innovation that influenced Raphael and Michelangelo! Italian terminology for this technique reflects Forlì's influence and is called 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑎 𝑚𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑧𝑧𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑎 ("Melozzo's perspective").

Thanks for enjoying a quick art lesson with us. Look for our Concert Insights emails beginning next week as we discuss 14th-century medieval music, female nun composers from the 16th and 18th centuries, and the beautiful French repertoire we will be sharing at our upcoming concert!