CLE Concierto

Inspired by the Spanish word "concertar," meaning "to come together in harmony," CLE Concierto is Northeast Ohio’s newest early music ensemble.  Our group is on a mission to identify composers whose stories are not often told by the mainstream, and to connect modern audiences to their lost worlds and perspectives through dynamic performances, dialogues, and visuals.

In 17th-century Italy, the boundaries between sacred and secular, tenderness and torment, lullaby and lament were fluid and profoundly intertwined. This program explores that fragile threshold—where comfort meets sorrow, and the cradle foreshadows the cross—through the voices of women who composed in an era when their artistic expression was often constrained.

Featuring music by Barbara Strozzi, Antonio Bembo, and Isabella Leonarda, this concert honors the resilience and brilliance of early female composers alongside their male contemporaries. Their works offer us a soundscape of haunting beauty and emotional depth, where music becomes both a mirror…