A Livestream Performance of music by medieval composer and apothecary Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) performed by Alkemie; followed by a Roundtable Conversation on plant-based pharmacology
Created in conjunction with Johns Hopkins Program in Arts, Humanities, & Health and supported by the Fordham Center for Medieval Studies, this musical event will include hand-made “Intersensory Program Cards” that pair Hildegard’s music, texts, and associated images with materials that audiences can literally smell, taste, touch, and hear. This interactive packet will be mailed to audience members who register by April 22nd (while supplies last).
Event time:
Premiere: Friday, April 30, 2021 - 2:00 to 4:00 pm EDT. (The concert livestream is 50 minutes long; the premiere will be followed by a roundtable discussion with 3 noted scholars).
ORDER by April 22 to ensure timely delivery of Intersensory Program Materials. Broadcast available On Demand through May 16, 2021.
Event description:
LINK to preview video
Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/292300795607701
ENRICH YOUR UNDERSTANDING of Hildegard’s works with a concert you can not only hear and see - but also touch, smell, and taste!
In the words of Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179), "the senses are to a person as precious stones sealed in a vase.” This multi-media experience includes a set of hand-made intersensory cards that expand upon the music presented with quotes from Hildegard paired with physical materials featured in her mystical and medical writings.
The premiere concert broadcast will be immediately followed by a roundtable conversation with the musicians and with three noted scholars, Dr. Victoria Sweet (Rooted in the Earth, Rooted in the Sky: Hildegard of Bingen and Premodern Medicine), Dr. Alisha Rankin (Panaceia's Daughters: Noblewomen as Healers in Early Modern Germany), and Dr. Minji Lee (“Woman’s Body In-Between: The Holy and Monstrous Womb in Medieval Medicine and Religion”) and moderated by Johns Hopkins historian of medicine Dr. Mary Fissell.
Alkemie singer and Verdant Medicine co-creator Tracy Cowart describes how Hildegard integrated her practical knowledge of herbs and plants with her understanding of music and humankind’s place in the cosmos: “Hildegard expanded both Christian theology and the humoral theory of Galen to connect the viriditas (living greenness) of plants and the metaphorical viridity of spirituality directly to the human body and its functioning. Her beliefs are mirrored in the music she wrote for her community—ecstatic chants in which unfurling branches, earthbound roots, and medicinal spices are depicted in soaring melodies that swirl throughout an almost three-octave range.”
For more information on Verdant Medicine: Hildegard’s Resonant Apothecary, please visit www.alkemie.org/verdantmedicine.
Open to: General Public
Admission:
Tickets start at $15; please contact [email protected] to inquire about group viewing rates and/or if circumstances necessitate financial aid.
STUDENTS: View-only for FREE - register with coupon code All_Ears at check-out.
Location:
Online. All ticket holders will receive a link to the premiere broadcast, as well as access to a recording of the full event through May 16.
Contact:
[email protected]; (929) 445-8613
