Whispers of the Sibyls
Premiere in Kvarner Festival (Opatija)
The Sibyls embody the prophetic and mystical voice of women from antiquity through the medieval era and into the Renaissance. This performance echoes music and poetry by women composers from different regions and periods of the Middle Ages. Sibil•la Ensemble create a program that combines storytelling and music, highlighting women who shaped medieval spiritual and artistic traditions.
The Byzantine hymnographer Kassiani (c. 810-c. 864), the Sibyl of the Rhine Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179), the Dutch mystic Hadewijch van Brabant (c.1200-c.1260), and the trobairitz Comtessa de Dia (c.1140-c.1212) are among the earliest known women composers and authors of both sacred and secular traditions in medieval Europe. Their music and writings reveal visionary thinkers and creative voices who offer a rare glimpse into medieval intellectual and spiritual life from a woman’s perspective. At the same time, their legacy continues to inspire contemporary scholars, artists, writers, performers, and activists.
Links: Women troubadours: Comtessa de Dia and ‘A chantar’ (blog), A chantar by Comtessa de Dia (video) recorded by NPO Klassiek and AVROTROS
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Saint Kassiani (c. 810-c. 864): Troparion for Holy Wednesday
or “The Hymn of the Fallen Woman”
Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179): O virtus Sapientiae
Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179): Et ideo puelle iste
Hadewijch van Brabant (c.1200-c.1260): Ay, in welken soe verbaert die tijt
Music from the Manuscripts Berlijn 190 and Brussels II 270,
written and owned by Dutch nuns (c. 1480)
Comtessa de Dia (c.1140-c.1212): A chantar m’er de so q’eu no volria
Anonymous trobairitz (Chansonnier La Vallière, 13th century):
Bona domna, tan vos ai fin coratge
Occitan Troubadour Dansa (13th century): Tant es gaia
Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179): Karitas Habundat
Kristia Michael voice, Coline Kreis medieval vielle, Marguerite Maire recorders, Jeremy Bass medieval lute, Ivan Gianakis percussion
Performance History:
02.08.2026 – Kvarner Festival, Opatija
18.09.2026 – Muže van Zuid, Amsterdam
03.10.2026 – Schiermonnikoog Festival, Schiermonnikoog
20.03.2026 – Musica Antica, The Hague
Anabiosis: Medieval and Traditional Music of Cyprus
Premiere in Faneromeni24 (Nicosia)
Situated between the Eastern Mediterranean and the Western world, Cyprus has been shaped over centuries by diverse musical and cultural influences, converging ancient rituals, with Byzantine and medieval traditions. These elements coexist as traces within the island’s soundscape, forming a continuum in which older practices are preserved, transformed, and recontextualized across time. The resonance of the ancient Cypriot dialect remains alive even today, with roots dating back to 1400 B.C.
Anabiosis, meaning “revival” in Cypriot Greek, reflects this enduring continuity and highlights the island’s rich and beautiful musical heritage. Cyprus’s history inspires a musical journey that explores the beginnings of notated Western music to the oral traditions of Cypriot culture. By blending early Western instruments with traditional ones, the ensemble brings together songs linked to ancient Cypriot ritual practices, medieval repertoire from the Franco-Cypriot Codex MS Turin J.II.9, and traditional Cypriot dances and songs.
“Sibil•la Ensemble reinvents music of the island’s ages” – Interview with CyprusMail
Links: Medieval history of Cyprus and the Franco-Cypriot Codex (blog), Journey in time: ancient, medieval and traditional music of Cyprus (blog)
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Franco-Cypriot MS Turin Codex J.II.9: Ego autem from St. Hylarion’ s Liturgy
Traditional dance: Mantra
MS Turin Codex J.II.9: Se brief retour
Traditional dance: Zeibekiko Kofto
Byzantine secular song: Parakalo tin Panagia
MS Turin Codex J.II.9: Tout fray solas feray
Traditional song of Cyprus: Song of Klidonas
Traditional dance: Syrtos Mavrommatis
Traditional song of Cyprus: To Yiasemi
Kristia Michael voice, Coline Kreis medieval vielle, Marguerite Maire recorders, Ivan Gianakis percussion. Guests so far: Niki Andronikou Cypriot traditional lute, Christina Polycarpou Cretan lyra, Sepand Dadbeh oud, tanbour, Alex Mastichiadis clavichord
Performance History:
18.07.2024 – Faneromeni24, Nicosia
10.09.2025 – Muže van Zuid, Amsterdam
11.09.2026 – Medieval Music in the Dales, Yorkshire Dales
Echo’s van Holland
Premiere in Muze van Zuid 2025 – Celebrating 750 years of Amsterdam
Echo’s van Holland reimagine the musical life of Amsterdam from its early days to the present, and makes audible what once might have echoed in wooden houses, churches, taverns, and streets of a growing city. The program brings together medieval, renaissance, and new music of the Netherlands into dialogue, conjuring the sound world of Amsterdam as a vibrant continuum – a city where innovation, tradition, and diversity always resonate side by side.
In this program, we highlight under-heard early repertoire alongside new works, sharing new dimensions of history and sound: from the mystical verses of Hadewijch van Brabant to secular monophonic songs from the Gruuthuuse manuscript and Dutch folk melodies. To bridge past and present, we perform music by Dutch and Amsterdam-based composers Louis Andriessen, Yannis Kyriakides and Amarante Nat.
Links: Echo’s van Holland: Celebrating 750 Years of Amsterdam’s Music (blog), Premiere in Festival Muze van Zuid
“New sounds and experimental techniques reflect the city’s evolving history and the multicultural exchanges and influences that have enriched Amsterdam and its surroundings from 1275 to the present day. A musical journey that sparks our imagination!” – Huib Ramaer, director of Muze van Zuid
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Hadewijch van Brabant (c.1200-1260): Namelike ghi ende ic
Gruuthuuse manuscript (14th century): Sceiden, onverwinlic leit
Giuseppe Doronzo Improvisation on bagpipe
Luís de Narváez (1500-1552): Fantasía
Amarante Nat (1995): Nanas de la cebolla (2021)
Gruuthuuse manuscript: Egidius waer bestu bleven
Oude en Nieuwe Hollantse Boerenlieties en Contredansen
(1700–1 716): Ik ging een vreyen tot Amsterdam, De naem was
Titata
Yannis Kyriakides (1969): Lingua Ignota (2025)
Louis Andriessen (1939-2021): Ende (1981)
Gruuthuse manuscript: Aloeette vogel cleint
Kristia Michael voice, Coline Kreis medieval vielle, Marguerite Maire recorders, Jeremy Bass medieval lute, Sanne van Gend hurdy-gurdy, Giuseppe Doronzo bagpipe, xaphoon, hulusi, longar double flute, Ivan Gianakis percussion
Performance History:
13.09.2025 – Muže van Zuid, Amsterdam
Viriditas
Debut Audiovisual Album, Release: March 2024
The ancient concept of Viriditas originates from the writings of the German Benedictine abbess Hildegard von Bingen, Sibyl of the Rhine. In Hildegard’s philosophy, Viriditas symbolises the vibrant, life-giving energy that permeates the natural world and the essence of greenness. This divine force, both physical and spiritual, is believed to be experienced in moments of ecstatic connection, where the boundaries between humanity and nature blur.
Chants and secular songs from the 12th and 13th century, create a tribute to the generative power of nature, celebrating its rhythms, cycles, and eternal harmony, with the use of folk and pagan folk and ritualistic elements from Germany, Spain, France and Cyprus.
Links: Debut Audiovisual Album, Viriditas: How the Journey begun (blog), Hildegard von Bingen: Sapientia, Viriditas and Karitas (blog)
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Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1197): O virtus Sapientiæ
Cantigas de Santa María (1252-1284): Gran poder a de mantar
Cantigas de Santa María: Rósa das Rosas
El Misteri d’ Elx: O Arbre Sanct, Digne de Honor
Percussion Improvisation
Hildegard von Bingen: O nobilissima Viriditas
Bernart de Ventadorn (c.1135 – c.1194): Can vei la lauzeta mover
Traditional of Cyprus: Song of Klidonas
Recorder Improvisation
Traditional dance of Cyprus: Syrtos Mavrommatis
Byzantine secular song from Cyprus: Parakalo tin Panayia
Yannis Kyriakides (1969): Lingua Ignota
Moniot d’ Arras (1213-1239): Ce fut en mai
Hildegard von Bingen: Karitas Habundat
Kristia Michael voice & gothic harp, Marguerite Maire recorders, Coline Kreis medieval vielle, Jeremy Bass medieval lute, Ivan Gianakis percussion
Performance History:
26.05.2024 – Pastoor van Arskerk, The Hague
29.09.2024 – Westerkerk, Enkhuizen
05.10.2024 – Dutch Audio Event, Veldhoven
13.11.2024 – Prinsenhof Museum, Delft
18.01.2205 – Domkerk, Utrecht
06.09.2025 – Grote Kerk, Brouwershaven
01.03.2026 – Kasteelconcerten, Doornenburg
15.03.2026 – Musica Antiqua Nova, Groningen
Hildegard von Bingen
Premiere in WoNDeRFeeL Festival, Baarn
Hildegard von Bingen (1098–1179), known as the Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German Benedictine abbess, composer, poet, scientist, and visionary. A significant figure of the Middle Ages, she authored influential religious and scientific writings, explored natural history, medicine, and theology, and composed 69 chants and a liturgical drama in her own distinctive musical language. She is in fact the earliest known woman composer in the history of Western music.
Inspired by her writings and music, Sibil.la Ensemble presents a ritualistic performance in which Hildegard’s chants merge with the sounds and elements of nature. According to Hildegard, the natural world reflects divine power and wisdom. The study of nature is an exploration of divine mysteries, transforming the natural world into a sacred realm, in which we can experience the ecstatic state of creation through the unity of soul, body, and senses. Music serves as a medium that translates both natural and human states, reminding us that this holistic vision is not merely philosophical, but a lived reality capable of shaping human experience.
Although Hildegard von Bingen lived in the 12th century, her holistic vision and art continues to inspire contemporary artists, scholars, and environmental thinkers, resonating powerfully in our present time. This time at Wonderfeel, surrounded by the beautiful nature of Landgoed Groeneveld.
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Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1197):
O rubor sanguinis
Ave Maria O auctrix
Deus enim rorem
O magne pater
Hodie apertuit
Cum erubuerint
Karitas Habundat
Kristia Michael voice & gothic harp, Marguerite Maire recorders, bagpipes, Coline Kreis medieval vielle, Jeremy Bass medieval lute, Ivan Gianakis percussion, water
Performance History:
04.07.2026 – Wonderfeel Festival, Baarn
Sibil•la Ensemble 