Founded in Treviso (a city in the Veneto region known during the Renaissance as “Marca Gioiosa”), the Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marcahave become one of the most famous groups in Italy, for almost twentyfive 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 Ambronay, Amsterdam, Ascona, Barcelona, Bremen, Bruges, Bruxelles, Buenos Aires, Città del Mexico, Istanbul, Le Chaise Dieu, Lisbona, Luzern, Ludwigsburg, Lugano, Montreux, Mosel Musikfestival, München, Passau, Potsdam, Regensburg, Salzburg, Schleswig Holstein, Schwetzinger Festspiele, Zürich, Warshaw, Wien, among others. In Italy, the group has played at the most important music festivals as well as for the primary concert organizers. 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 Sonatoriwon the “Diapason d’or de l’année” in Paris for their concert rendition of 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. They 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. They recorded for Erato, Warner Classics, Decca, Rca/Sony Bmg, Divox, Opus 111, Arcana, Naxos, Arts, Stradivarius, Rivo Alto, Nuova Era.