UC Irvine may be the fourth stop on Cappella Artemisia’s 2017 North American tour, “Invincible! 17th-Century Italian Nuns Sing of Virgins and Martyrs,” but last Wednesday’s performance didn’t suggest that the ensemble’s musicians are halfway through a fast-paced tour: it was fresh, tight and passionate.
The aim of the concert wasn’t just to entertain, though. After all, it was supported by Illuminations, so it also educated. An intimate lunchtime lecture and preview preceded the concert itself, where UCI Department of Music Professor Colleen Reardon, Director of Cappella Artemisia Candace Smith and the musicians themselves provided the context necessary to understand not only the historical background of the pieces, but also why this music was so important to the cloistered nuns who composed and performed it.
