La Pieta, the all-female Canadian string ensemble created by Juilliard-trained violinist Angele Dubeau, takes its name from the Italian word for compassion. With its interest in social causes, the group was inspired by Venice’s Ospedale della Pieta–an orphanage for girls–where Baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi taught music.
But when Montreal-born Dubeau makes her Chicago debut with seven string players and one pianist Friday at St. James Cathedral, passion will be the concert’s driving force. The ensemble will perform selections from its latest CD, “Passion,” with works by Vivaldi, Manuel De Falla, Bizet and Gershwin.
“For me, passion is a loaded word,” says Dubeau, 43. “It can be an out-of-control emotion. There’s the fire; the cry from the heart. But it can be something softer, even spiritual.”
These varied shades of passion serve as the evening’s theme. Besides performing benefit concerts around the world for women’s shelters and children’s hospitals, La Pieta aims to make classical music accessible without lowering its artistic standards. Recently, the women played a concert of “devilish” scores, including Tartini’s “Devil’s Sonata” and the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil.”
“We have to stop thinking that certain kinds of music are only for the elite,” Dubeau says. “Music is really for everybody.”
Angele Dubeau and La Pieta perform Friday at 7:30 p.m. at St. James Cathedral, 65 E. Huron St. Tickets: $10-$25. Call 866-468-3401.
