Intimate musical tale The Mistress Cycle explores the choices and consequences of 5 women historical and fictional. Engaging, enticing.

In this mosaic song cycle, the lives and loves of five mistresses over the ages are woven together. There's Tess Walker, a modern day woman who struggles with success in her career and failure with men; Ching, a 14-year-old girl in 12th century China who is sold as concubine to a wealthy older man to save her family from poverty; Diane de Poitiers, the lifelong mistress of Henri II, King of France in the 16th century; Lulu White, the most famous bordello madam in 1900's Storyville New Orleans; and Anais Nin, the world renowned diarist and sexual dynamo whose exploits were legendary.

As they unfold their stories, we explore what it means to be a mistress. To come second to a wife. To be considered a vixen, adultress, enchantress, kept woman, homewrecker, gold-digger and whore. Their actions are neither celebrated nor condemned.

Even though each woman's circumstances and vernacular are vastly different, their experiences and emotions are universal. Despite a mistress appearing to have a privileged existence, there is pain, struggle and loss. The women speak from the heart, and their words are very visceral. The Mistress Cycle is a rare piece with five strong female roles, written not just for the female voice, but also the female spirit.