FUMING: JOHANNA FITZGIBBON OF LIMERICK by Brooke Green

FUMING: JOHANNA FITZGIBBON OF LIMERICK, by Brooke Green, was composed for Yonit Kosovske with the instrumentation of Baroque violin, viola da gamba, and harpsichord. Brooke's 3rd great grandmother Johanna Fitzgibbon spent her last years "senile" at the notorious Newington Asylum for Infirm and Destitute Women. Originally from Limerick, in 1835 she was sentenced at the age of 16 to seven years transportation to New South Whales for her first offence: stealing calico. FUMING: JOHANNA FITZGIBBON OF LIMERICK is about hidden women’s social history, convict life, forced migration, illiteracy, the poverty-trap, historical religious and ethnic discrimination, all of which have resonances today. The creation of this composition was made possible with support from the
Art Music Fund, in partnership with the Australian Music Centre and New Zealand's SOUNZ. The world premiere took place at the East Cork Early Music Festival on October 29, 2024, followed by a second performance in the Belltable at the Limerick Early Music Festival on March 23, 2025 in a concert that was pleased to welcome Brooke Green from Sydney, Australia.