In May 2026, the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century presented By Her Absence – A Portrait of Marianna Martines: a series of five semi-staged concerts in Leiden, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Enschede, dedicated to the music and story of the forgotten composer Marianna Martines (1744-1812). The programme combined works by Martines and Joseph Haydn (with whom she shared a house and occasionally collaborated) with a new composition by Kate Moore. Directed by Peter Leung, the orchestra, together with soprano Elisabeth Hetherington and conductor Benjamin Perry Wenzelberg, took the audience into Martines’ world. Audiences responded enthusiastically: they enjoyed themselves, discovered something new, and are unlikely to forget the name Marianna Martines any time soon. Moore’s composition, an ode to women’s forgotten contribution to musical heritage, was also seen as a highlight. Thanks to the support of Fonds 1999, active space could be created for female voices in a classical music world where women remain underrepresented, connecting past and present in a shared love of music.