LFBM 2026: Shut the Gate Against My Thoughts

Forever entwined with music, melancholy has long been a powerful source of artistic inspiration, reflecting humanity’s enduring fascination with sorrow.

In this evocative programme, soprano Nardus Williams, winner of the Rising Star award at the 2022 International Opera Awards, joins Liz Kenny, one of Europe’s leading lute and theorbo specialists, to trace the musical expression of melancholy across 16th- and 17th-century Europe.

Featuring works by composers including John Dowland, Francesca Caccini, Claudio Monteverdi, and Barbara Strozzi, this programme explores the many shades of melancholy: introspective, romantic, forlorn, and deeply expressive.

Voice and theorbo intertwine to bring to life songs of longing, love, and reflection. Moments of profound lament are lifted by flashes of wit and light, revealing melancholy not merely as sadness, but as a rich and complex emotional landscape.

Beautifully curated, this programme invites you to pause, listen, and connect with a timeless human instinct: the healing power of music in moments of introspection.