The women in question are composers of the Baroque era, 19th- and 20th-century Paris, and more recent vintage, and they are showcased in three evenings of song. Though many a name in the lineup rings a bell (Barbara Strozzi, Pauline Viardot, Nadia Boulanger, Ruth Crawford Seeger …), few listeners will have sufficient prior acquaintance with their music to know quite what to expect. As artistic director of the Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago, the tenor Nicholas Phan has assembled a diverse and classy roster of singers and instrumentalists to join him in exploration. —M.G.