Maddalena

Venice’s Lyre of Orpheus

Maddalena is a chamber opera in five scenes about the life of Maddalena Lombardini (December 1745 – 18 May 1818), a virtuoso violinist, composer, and opera singer born in Venice, Italy. As a student of Giuseppe Tartini and a figlia de coro (“daughter of the chorus”) of the Ospedale dei Mendicanti, Maddalena received superb musical training as a child and teenager before she embarked upon a life as a touring virtuoso. Her spellbinding performances captivated all of Europe and garnered much praise, causing critics to draw mythological comparisons to her playing: “Her violin is the Lyre of Orpheus in her graceful hands … the first rank of virtuosi.” Although she married another violinist and composer, they lived apart; instead, she traveled with a priest who was thought to be her lover. She was an astute businesswoman, running copious print ads for her performances in London, publishing her compositions alongside the music of Franz Joseph Haydn, and pivoting to a career as an opera singer when her style of violin playing became passé.

This opera is for four singers (soprano, mezzo soprano, tenor, baritone), string quartet, and harpsichord, and is commissioned by Constellation Creatives and Skyros Quartet, with a libretto by Alan Olejniczak. Scene One was premiered on September 27th, 2024 to a full house at Seattle Chamber Music Society in downtown Seattle, featuring singers Linda Tsatsanis and José Luis Muñoz. If interested in supporting the production of the full five-scene opera, please consider donating to Constellation Creatives here.

Scene One premiere photos