Wounding Harmonies: Baroque Music from exiled English Convents

The Basilinda Consort returns to Christ Church Cathedral this August! In this concert, we explore how early modern English Catholic women understood the body and wounds of Christ through music and poetry.

Christ's body - physical and spiritual - is central to Christian theology, defining the sacrament of communion, and playing an essential role in Christian devotion. The importance of meditating on Christ's wounds was a particularly strong devotional theme in early modern Europe across Christian denominations, but held a special place in early modern English Catholic communities.

Join us on a sonic journey through history with a sublime programme of music from English Catholic women's communities, featuring new research on recusant household music and music at convents established expressly for English Catholic women in exile across France and the Low Countries. The programme features music by well-known composers such as Peter Philips, Richard Dering, and Jean-Baptiste Lully, alongside recently-discovered items which may not have been heard for hundreds of years.

The Basilinda Consort is an early music ensemble dedicated to exploring the musical lives of English Christian women religious. Focused on exiled English convent music, we explore the rich history of medieval and early modern English women as singers, players, composers, commentators, writers, and even bookbinders.