About me

I am Cornelia Demmer – lutenist, researcher, and founder and artistic director of the Casulana Lute Consort, an all-female ensemble. Combining scholarly expertise with a keen sense for stage impact, I develop projects that place the multi-faceted nature of the lute and its repertoire at the centre.

Women are an essential part of society – it cannot function without us. Yet we are witnessing a backlash: hard-won achievements from sixty years ago are once again being challenged. Women’s rights are fragile, and we must remain vigilant to protect them.

As a lutenist, I am committed to increasing the visibility of women within our niche of classical music. Through the music we play, we create a space that offers a counterpoint to everyday life and invites people to reconnect with themselves.

I first picked up the lute with great care – how light it felt in my hands. I marvelled at the fine woods and delicate carvings, the wealth of detail, the craftsmanship required to create such an instrument. I was sixteen, discovering for the first time an instrument I had only vaguely imagined. A suggestion from my recorder teacher, together with the telephone number of a lutenist, led me to a remarkable room where lutes hung side by side along the walls. My first notes were hesitant, yet I was instantly captivated by the sound. Resting against my body, the lute seemed to breathe – its resonance subtle and multi-layered, rich in colour, gentle, and, to my surprise, far louder than I had expected. In that moment, a profound connection with the instrument was born.

My mind was made up: I was going to be a lutenist!

Near the end of my studies, I joined a panel on career paths for lutenists and the transition from university into professional life. Seven men and one woman spoke about their journeys – the pandemic had only just ended. Their stories were of lucky breaks and opportunities that seemed to appear effortlessly, shaping thriving careers. What emerged was a purely male perspective, with no mention of the invisible hurdles women face: structural barriers, imposter syndrome, or the difficulty of balancing artistic ambition with care responsibilities. Listening, my unease grew – the invisible pink elephant in the room seemed to swell before my eyes. Or perhaps it was never visible to everyone.
In the conversations that followed, it became clear that many of the women present were left with lingering questions – and a shared sense of powerlessness. How can we speak about the challenges that surface in so many everyday situations, yet remain so hard to define, in a way that male colleagues can truly understand? And how can we do so without feeling exposed, diminished, or left vulnerable?

For me, one thing was clear: we need more diverse opportunities and role models. Above all, we need the visibility of women – because they are out there! They are successful, they make a difference, and they experience a completely different reality when it comes to career paths and life planning.

This experience confirmed my own path – I knew I would do things differently. I often heard the same advice on how to ‘make it’ as a lutenist, yet I was fortunate to meet women whose careers told a different story. For them, artistic expression was life-shaping and meaningful – but never the whole of life. They embraced other priorities that contributed to happiness, and their paths reflected this balance. What struck me even more was their willingness to keep evolving. They left even the most prestigious engagements by choice, saying things like: ‘I’ve done that long enough. I know it by now.’ or ‘Let the young ones do that now!’ – words I’ve never heard from a male colleague.

These ways of life were decisive in my choice to pursue my own self-determined and independent path. By founding my own all-female ensemble, I began to take my career into my own hands. The recording of my first album, featuring the world premiere of works by Karl Kohaut, marks another exciting step forward!