„Not a single evening goes by without a concert somewhere. The people run along the canal to hear it…you cannot imagine how crazy the city is about this art…The transcendent music is that of the ospedali. There are four of them, made up of illegitimate and orphaned girls and those whose parents are not in a position to raise them. They are brought up at the expense of the state and trained solely to excel in music. They sing like angels and play the violin, the flute, the organ, the oboe, the cello, and the bassoon…They are cloistered like nuns…about forty girls take part in each concert.”

This is how Charles Burney, one of the foremost chroniclers of 18th-century European musical life, described the vibrant musical scene in Venice during the golden age of its ospedali. The four Ospedali Grandi of Venice were originally established in previous centuries to provide care and support for the sick, the poor, and the orphaned. Over time, however, they became renowned across Europe for their exceptional musical training and performances, drawing visitors, musicians, and music lovers from far and wide. Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, they played a key role in Venetian religious and musical life, offering both sacred services and special concerts.The figlie del coro, the highly trained female musicians of the ospedali, performed from elevated galleries concealed behind latticed screens, shielding them from the gaze of the audience. Their breathtaking virtuosity made religious services in these churches some of the most captivating and sought-after musical experiences of the 18th century. One can only imagine the deep bonds that formed among these prodigious musicians—hours of study and rehearsal spent together, sharing the triumphs of performance and the rhythms of daily life within the cloistered walls. The program features music composed for two of these Venice’s renowned ospedali: the Ospedale degli Incurabili and the Ospedale della Pietà. These works, written by two of the most celebrated composers of their time—Johann Adolf Hasse and Antonio Vivaldi—offer a glimpse into the extraordinary musical life that flourished within these institutions.