Late in the 16th century, a musical genre developed in Italy. “Monody” represented a radically new way of thinking about music and led to the creation of the style we now call Baroque. Its roots were in the writings of the Florentine Camerata, an elite group of musicians and intellectuals who scrutinized the music of ancient Greece in an attempt to rediscover its mysterious power to move the emotions. Convinced that the musical potency of the Greeks reached its zenith in sung tragedies, they conceived a modern recreation: opera. Come learn about the characteristics and philosophy of early opera, and enhance your enjoyment of tonight’s performance of Jacopo Peri’s “Euridice”!