Join Opera Lafayette and host Julia Doe, for this three-part online Salon Series about Marie Antoinette, an incredible woman in history who shaped much of French musical tastes in the 18th century and inspired our 2022 musical season (get tickets). Each session will feature a unique look into her life, led by different guest scholars weekly.

MARIE ANTOINETTE'S MUSICAL LEGACIES - WITH GUEST SCHOLAR REBECCA GEOFFROY-SCHWINDEN

Wednesday, April 20, 2022, 6 PM EST

This presentation will explore the political repercussions of Marie Antoinette's musical practices during her lifetime and beyond. We will begin with a discussion of how the Parisian public interpreted her musical choices on the eve of the French Revolution. Then, we will meet her first lady-in-waiting, Madame Campan, who, after narrowly escaping the guillotine, dared to carry on Marie Antoinette's musical legacy in an elite school for girls. Finally, we will delve into the personal and practical significance of music-making for women in the wake of Marie Antoinette's death, as Napoleon tried to silence them legally and literally. In this context, Marie Antoinette became an icon as well as a cautionary tale, and we shall learn how music was implicated in both.