Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca
Founded in Treviso (a city in the Veneto region known during the Renaissance as “Marca Gioiosa”), the Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca have become one of the most famous groups in Italy, for almost twenty years playing ancient music on period instruments. A string ensemble that can be expanded into a small orchestra, the Sonatori feature a repertoire that ranges from the late 16th century to Classicism, with particular dedication to traditional music of the Veneto.

The Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca have taken part in such important international music festivals as those held in Ambronaye, Amsterdam (Concertgebouw), Arolsen (Barock Festpsiele), Ascona (Settimane Musicali), Barcelona (Palau de la Musica), Bremen (Musikfest), Bruges (Festival van Vlaanderen), Bruxelles (Festival de Wallonie, Printemps de Sablon, Europalia), Buenos Aires (Teatro Coliseum), Le Chaise Dieu, Lisbona (Goulbenkian, Capuchos), Luzern (Osterfestspiele, KKA), Ludwigsburg, Lugano (Primavera Concertistica), Montreux (Voice & Music Festival), München (Opern-Festspiele), Passau (Europäisches Musikfest), Potsdam (Sanssouci Musikfestspiele), Regensburg (Tage Alte Musik), Salzburg (Mozarteum, Bach-Gesellschaft), Schleswig Holstein, Schwetzinger Festspiele, Sion (Festival Tibor Varga), St.Moritz (Snow & Symphony), Tirana (Allegretto Albania), Zamora (Portico de Semana Santa), Zürich (Tonhalle), Warshaw (Beethoven Festival), Wraklaw (Vratislavia Cantans),Wien (Musikvereinsaal, Resonanzen), among others, and they have likewise performed in major cities throughout Europe. In Italy, the group has played at the most important music festivals as well as for the primary concert organizers, including Asolo (Incontri Asolani), Bologna Festival, Catania (Amici della Musica), Città di Castello (Festival delle Nazioni), Ferrara Musica, Firenze (Amici della Musica), Jesi (Festival Pergolesi-Spontini), Milano (Società del Quartetto, San Maurizio), Padova (Amici della Musica), Palermo (Amici della Musica), Reggio Emila (Teatro Valli), Siena (Accademia Chigiana), Stresa (Settimane Musicali), Torino (Unione musicale), Vicenza (Amici della Musica) etc.

Their concerts have been broadcast on a regular basis by all the principal radio networks in Europe.

Often the recipients of awards from the music media for their many recordings, the Sonatori won the “Diapason d’or de l’année” in Paris for their concert rendition of Antonio Vivaldi’s “Le Humane passioni” together with the violinist Giuliano Carmignola. And in Venice in 1998, the group received the “Premio Vivaldi” presented by the G. Cini Foundation for “Balli, capricci e stravaganze”.

Again in 1998, the Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca collaborated with Cecilia Bartoli in making a video and CD at the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, a performance that has won clamorous applause from music critics all over the world.

Along with their interpretations of masterpieces by Vivaldi, the Sonatori have devoted themselves to the re-discovery of the great musical tradition of 17th- century Italy. As part of this initiative, the group has made several recordings of the “Musiche per Archi della Repubblica di Venezia” (Music for Strings of the Republic of Venice), a project undertaken in collaboration with the Westdeutscher Rundfunk Köln (WDR). ). They recorded for Erato, Warner Classics, Decca, RCA/Sony BMG, Divox, Opus 111, Arcana, Naxos, Arts, Stradivarius, Rivo Alto, Nuova Era.