Voices of San Lazzaro

Intesa is a duo for voice and viol formed by Lucine Musaelian and Nathan Giorgetti in 2023 at the Royal Academy of Music. The ensemble's name, an Italian word meaning 'understanding' or 'meeting of minds', reflects the collaborative ethos at the heart of its work. Its programmes place folk and Early Music repertoire side by side, bringing together European and Armenian traditions through narrative and self-accompanied performance.

For its Festival debut, it references the Armenian monastery, San Lazzaro degli Armeni, in the Venetian lagoon, where (since 1717) monks and scholars have gathered to preserve the traditions of early Christianity and chant.

Its Voices of San Lazzaro programme explores the union of Armenian and Italian traditions, weaving together a story of Armenian faith and a female story of musical prowess in the Italian courts, featuring works by the Caccini sisters, Barbara Strozzi, and Monteverdi alongside the Armenian ashugh tradition of storytelling through song.