The Casulana Lute Consort, an internationally active ensemble based in Basel, breathes new life into a once-celebrated yet now seldom-heard art: the music of the Renaissance lute consort. Trained at the renowned Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, the musicians restore this sound world to the stage in its original form – with artistry, historical insight, and a passion that resonates deeply.

Bearing the name of Madalena Casulana – the pioneering 16th-century composer and the first woman to see her music in print – the ensemble stands as a conscious counter-voice to the male-centred canon of music history. Casulana herself insisted that women were just as capable of composing as men – a conviction that shapes and sustains the ensemble’s artistic vision.

With soprano, alto, tenor and bass lutes, cittern and voice, the ensemble conjures a chamber sound world of subtlety and richness. Its repertoire spans Italian madrigals, French Airs de Cours, as well as dances and fantasias from the 16th and early 17th centuries. The programme „Le Ballet des Luths“ exemplifies the ensemble’s approach: a finely wrought tapestry of original works for multiple lutes, arrangements of vocal polyphony and historical dance forms, shaped into a musical narrative that is both rooted in scholarship and imbued with poetic expression.