About the Composer: Maddalena Laura Lombardini Sirmen was a Venetian violinist, vocalist, and composer. She was admitted to the Ospedale dei Medicanti in 1753, where she took part in the all-female choir and orchestra. She continued her musical studies with Giuseppe Tartini in the early 1760s before marrying fellow violinist Lodovico Sirmen in 1767. The couple went on to have a successful touring career and Maddalena was celebrated as both a performer and composer.