Antonia Bembo

Little known today, composer and singer Antonia Bembo was among the leading creative figures of the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Fleeing her home in Italy, Bembo impressed King Louis XIV in France and found a place at his court. She composed music in most of the major genres of the day, in Italian and French, specializing in sacred and secular cantatas for solo soprano and continuo accompaniment. Bembo's music has rarely been recorded, but in 2024, her cantata Habbi pietà di me appeared on the album Wonder Women by keyboardist and ensemble director Christina Pluhar.