Amazons Past and Present

Stories about the Amazons –  a fierce and noble tribe of women warriors have long fascinated artists, writers, explorers and musicians. For St Cecilia’s Day 2026, Josie and the Emeralds present music with Amazonian themes from the Renaissance through to modern times. 

The removal or binding of a breast by Amazons to enhance their archery skills has inspired many breast cancer patients. Currently, one in seven Australian women are diagnosed with breast cancer, undergoing an arduous regime of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and long-term medications often with difficult side-effects.

Dorothy Porter (1954 – 2008) was one of Australia’s most charismatic literary figures. After extensive treatment for breast cancer, she somewhat reluctantly identified as an Amazon. We will perform several of Brooke Green’s settings of her poetry. 

Glebe Music Festival
Glebe Town Hall
Tickets

In 2025 Brooke Green was diagnosed with breast cancer and for this concert, is writing music that reflects her experience of Amazonian transformation, along with a setting of Fanny Burney’s graphic description of her mastectomy in 1811.