e are pleased to welcome back the Carter Family Marionettes for a production Francesca Caccini'sLa Liberazione di Ruggiero dall' Isola d'Alcina, the earliest opera written by a woman. A re-telling of Ariosto's Orlando Furioso, the opera features magical transformations, burning oceans, winged monsters and, of course, exquisite melodies.
The daughter of one of the leading advocates for the nuove musiche of the 17th century, Francesca had a remarkable career in her own right as a teacher and performer, but above all as a highly respected composer. She wrote La Liberazione di Ruggiero dall' Isola d'Alcina in 1625 and sadly, it is her only surviving opera – she is thought to have contributed to as many as nine staged works. (Click here for a biography of Francesca.)
Long time Magnificat fans will remember fondly the two productions with the Carter Family Marionettes in 1998 – the Parisian opera parody La Grandmere Amoureuse and Jacopo Melani's Il Girello. Among Magnificat's most popular productions, these collaborations were a critical success and a pleasure for all involved.
Joshua Kosman of the San Francisco Chronicle noted after the opera parody production "most of the afternoon's fun came from the puppets, a superbly varied and eye-catching corps of wooden troublemakers." After the production of Il Girello, Kosman commented "the most impressive aspect of the performance was the puppets themselves, a vast crowd of expressive mannequins created and handled by Stephen Carter, Chris Carter and Bruce Chesse."
e are pleased to welcome back the 
The daughter of one of the leading advocates for the nuove musiche of the 17th century, Francesca had a remarkable career in her own right as a teacher and performer, but above all as a highly respected composer. She wrote 