DATES
Registration: April 16th to June 19th 2026
Course dates: July 5th to June 10th
WHERE?
CPM. Pedro Aranaz de Cuenca
Convento de Santa María del Campo Rus
TEAM
Director: Luis Carlos Ortiz
Faculty Sub-director: Javier Caruda
Student and Organization Sub-directors: Mª Cecilia Ortiz y Mª Irene Ortiz
COURSE SCHEDULE
Morning: from 10:00 AM to 02:00 PM
Afternoons: from 03:30 PM to 05:00 PM
ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE
From 05:30 PM
COURSE SECRETARIAT
A.C. SEMITONÍA SUBINTELECTA
Camerata Ars Summa Academy
C/ Clara Campoamor, 4
16003 Cuenca (España)
E-mail: info@cameratarsumma.com
Web: https://semitonia.es
© 2026 – Semitonía • Web by Arte-facto Diseño
Correpetitor
Kohei Takeoka is a Japanese harpsichordist and organist born in Yamagata. He graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts in 2023 and is currently studying historical keyboards at the Civica Scuola di Musica Claudio Abbado in Milan with Lorenzo Ghielmi.
In 2024, he won First Prize at the International Harpsichord Competition of the City of Milan. He has performed as a soloist at major festivals including Roma Festival Barocco, Settimane Barocche di Brescia, the Monteverdi Festival in Cremona, and Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik. In 2026, he was awarded Third Prize at the Gianni Gambi International Harpsichord Competition.
He is also active as a continuo player and has collaborated with ensembles such as the Orchestra Barocca dei Conservatori Italiani and the Tölzer Knabenchor.
Correpetitor
Isabel Fernández Olalla began her harpsichord studies in 2007 at the CIM Padre Antonio Soler under the guidance of Professor Jordan Fumadó, with whom she studied until 2018. In 2022, she completed her higher studies at the Royal Conservatory of Music of Madrid, where she studied with Tony Millán and Silvia Márquez, earning the End-of-Degree Prize.
To further her training, she completed a Master of Arts in Performance at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis with Jörg-Andreas Bötticher, with whom she continues her studies in a Master of Arts in Music Pedagogy applied to the harpsichord. She also completed a Master’s degree in Early Music Performance with Luca Guglielmi at ESMuC.
She has participated in productions at L’Auditori de Barcelona, the National Auditorium of Madrid, the OpernHaus Zürich, the Juan March Foundation, the Prado Museum, the Museum of Music of Barcelona, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando, the Auditorium of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, and various venues in Switzerland, working with conductors such as Jordi Savall, Jörg-Andreas Bötticher, Enrico Gatti, and Amandine Beyer.
Since 2023, she has been working regularly as a répétiteur at the Musikschule of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, and since 2024 she has been a répétiteur professor at the Semitonía Early Music Course and Festival in Cuenca.
Baroque Cello
Alejandro Marías showed a clear vocation for music from an early age. He began his studies with Enrique Correa and María de Macedo and obtained Advanced Degrees in Cello and Viola da Gamba from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid.
He later moved to France, where he specialized in historically informed performance of the Classical and Romantic repertoires. He completed Master’s degrees in Baroque Cello and Viola da Gamba at the Haute École de Musique de Genève in Switzerland, studying with Bruno Cocset and Guido Balestracci, respectively.
In addition, he has received instruction from renowned cellists such as Christophe Coin, Anner Bylsma, and Jaap ter Linden, as well as viol players including Wieland Kuijken, Jordi Savall, and Hille Perl. He has performed in around thirty countries and worked with orchestras such as Les Musiciens du Louvre, Helsinki Baroque Orchestra, and Insula Orchestra, and with conductors including Philippe Herreweghe, Marc Minkowski, Ton Koopman, Bruno Weil, Sigiswald Kuijken, Hervé Niquet, and Enrico Onofri.
Among his notable recordings are the “3+1” sonatas for viola da gamba by J.S. Bach and the album *Sopra La Spagna*, which spans three centuries of music for viola da gamba, as well as the complete works of Jacques Morel. The magazine *Ritmo* described this recording as follows: “The interpretation is truly superb, to the point that, for many, in a blind listening test, it would recall Jordi Savall in his glorious years.”
His performances of the viola da gamba solos in J.S. Bach’s Passions have also been particularly acclaimed, including one recorded by RTVE together with Carlos Mena.
As director of the ensemble La Spagna, he was one of the musicians selected to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the arrival in Spain of the Royal Quartet Stradivarius instruments.
Passionate since childhood about sharing the knowledge he has acquired, Alejandro Marías has been invited to give masterclasses at institutions such as the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and the Conservatorio Giovan Battista Martini in Bologna, in addition to his work as an essayist and lecturer.
He also shares his expertise as a professor of viola da gamba at the Higher Conservatory of Music of Seville.
The Music of Dufay and Binchois Through Their Sources
The Music of Dufay and Binchois Through Their Sources
This course offers a practical immersion in 15th-century Burgundian polyphony based on the original manuscripts that transmit it. Throughout the course, participants will learn to read mensural notation and to interpret directly from primary sources, adapting the choice of repertoire to the configuration of the group. We will work on key aspects such as Pythagorean tuning, musica ficta, and the principles of counterpoint of the period, as well as the pronunciation of 15th-century French. The course is aimed at singers and instrumentalists (at 440 Hz). A unique opportunity to immerse oneself in the beauty of this repertoire through direct contact with the manuscripts that preserve it.
Harp
She began studying the harp at the age of four with Simona Marchesi at the Suzuki Center in Varese. In 2006, she enrolled at the Conservatorio di Torino, studying with Gabriella Bosio, and later transferred to the Conservatorio di Milano under the guidance of Professor Patrizia Radici. She has participated in numerous masterclasses with world-renowned harpists, including Letizia Belmondo, Lincoln Almada, Catherine Michel, and Fabrice Pierre.
In 2017, she began studying the baroque harp with Mara Galassi at the Civica Scuola di Musica “Claudio Abbado” in Milan and later continued with Christina Pluhar at the Koninklijk Conservatorium in The Hague, where she obtained her Master’s degree. She collaborates regularly with the ensemble La Chimera, with which she recorded two albums (Misa de indios in 2013 and Gracias a la vida in 2017, both on modern harp), participates in baroque harp projects (Italian triple and Spanish double harp), and maintains an active performance schedule across Europe, including France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Italy
Basso continuo
Trained at the higher music institutions ESMuC in Barcelona and the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Switzerland, Joan Boronat Sanz presents himself as a curious and open-minded musician, constantly experimenting with the poetic and rhetorical possibilities of basso continuo in ensemble music while exploring paths in solo performance.
He currently combines an international career as a soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician with concerts and recordings alongside leading ensembles such as La Cetra Barockorchester Basel (Andrea Marcon), Collegium 1704 (V. Luks), La Scintilla (Riccardo Minasi), Concerto Köln, and La Guirlande, as well as with teaching, research into Spanish basso continuo, traditional Scottish music in the Baroque period, music in Jesuit missions in 16th-century Japan, and collaborations with theatre/visual arts and electronic music.
Specialised in chamber music pedagogy, since 2014 he has given masterclasses and worked as a répétiteur, vocal/instrumental coach, and chamber music coach at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, and regularly at the Musikschule Konservatorium Zürich. He is also invited as a coach or assistant teacher at masterclasses at institutions such as the Accademia Chigiana–Mozarteum Salzburg, Early Music Morella, Musikhochschule Stuttgart, and the Conservatoire de Strasbourg.
Historical singing
Lucía Caihuela graduated cum laude from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, where she specialized in early music. Since 2017, she has worked simultaneously as a performer and teacher. In the academic field, she has been a Historical Singing professor at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Madrid and a guest lecturer at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in the Netherlands. She is the founder of motoLAB, a bodywork laboratory applied to classical singing, whose aim is to raise awareness of the connection between voice and body in order to achieve greater freedom and expressive interpretation.
Lucía collaborates as a soloist with ensembles such as The Netherlands Bach Society, Collegium 1704, Al Ayre Español, Forma Antiqva, El Afecto Ilustrado, La Guirlande, Orpheus Baroque Stockholm, and L’Apothéose, among others. She has performed in major venues and festivals across Europe. She has also collaborated with orchestras such as the Galicia Symphony Orchestra, the Asturias Symphony Orchestra, and the RTVE Symphony Orchestra, and has worked with conductors including Richard Egarr, Philippe Herreweghe, Shunske Sato, Carlos Mena, Santiago Serrate, Aarón Zapico, Hans-Christoph Rademann, Christoph König, and Václav Luks. She was a finalist in the Neue Stimmen competition in 2017 and a semifinalist in the London Handel Competition in 2020.
Plucked strings
Born in Buenos Aires, Eduardo Egüez is one of the leading lutenists of his generation. He studied classical guitar and composition in Argentina and later earned his lute diploma at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, where he studied with Hopkinson Smith.
He has performed as a soloist in major cities across Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Oceania, and has received prizes at international competitions in Buenos Aires, Paris, and Madrid. He is currently Professor of Lute and Basso Continuo at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), and is regularly invited to give courses and masterclasses worldwide.
As a soloist, he has recorded for labels such as MA Recordings, E Lucevan le Stelle, and Glossa, including the complete lute works of Johann Sebastian Bach and *L’Infidèle*, which was awarded a Diapason d’Or. His most recent recording, *O felici occhi miei* (2024), is dedicated to Italian Renaissance lute repertoire.
He has directed stage productions such as *La púrpura de la rosa*, Monteverdi’s *L’Orfeo*, and *Gli Intermedi della Pellegrina* at major European festivals. Since 2005, he has led the ensemble La Chimera, developing interdisciplinary projects that combine music with literature, dance, and visual arts, and producing numerous critically acclaimed recordings.
As a continuo player, he regularly collaborates with leading early music ensembles such as Hespèrion XXI, Concerto Italiano, Les Talents Lyriques, and the Balthasar Neumann Orchestra, and has worked with artists including Emma Kirkby, María Cristina Kiehr, and Rolf Lislevand.
His extensive discography includes recordings for labels such as Naïve, Glossa, Harmonia Mundi, Sony, and Decca. In 2025, he presented new recital programs dedicated to Renaissance and Baroque lute repertoire, while continuing an active international career as performer and teacher.
Harpischord
With three “Diapason d’or” under his belt and the esteem in which he is held by his colleagues and the public, Diego Ares has established himself as one of the most influential harpsichordists of his generation.
He studied piano with Aleksandras Jurgelionis and Aldona Dvarionaitė, and harpsichord with Pilar Cancio, Richard Egarr, Jörg-Andreas Bötticher, Genoveva Gálvez and Carmen Schibli.
He has given solo recitals at the Roque d’Anthéron Piano Festival, the Abbaye de Royaumont, the Quincena Musical Donostiarra, the Iturbi Festival, the Santander International Festival, the Granada Music and Dance Festival, the Utrecht Early Music Festival, the Bach Festival in Tokyo, the Davos Festival, Musiq’3 (Brussels), the Oslo Chamber Music Festival, etc., he has also been accompanied by the Real Filharmonía de Galicia, the Geneva Chamber Orchestra, the Orchestre symphonique de Bretagne, the Chamber Orchestra of Granada, the Bach Society Orchestra of the Netherlands, Forma Antiqua, etc.
His career as a soloist is combined with that of a chamber musician, in collaboration with artists such as Amandine Beyer, Richard Egarr, Pierre Hantaï, Meret Pellaton, Rachel Podger, Ignacio Prego, Shunske Sato, Maurice Steger and Montserrat Torrent.
He has recorded for Columna Música (two harpsichord concertos by J. S. Bach), Pan Classics (works by P. A. Soler and D. Scarlatti), Harmonia Mundi (unpublished sonatas by P. Antonio Soler and the Goldberg Variations by J. S. Bach), Ibs-Classical (the complete harpsichord works by S. de Albero – to be published) and Mirare (sonatas by J. S. Bach for harpsichord and viola da gamba with Margaux Blanchard). He has also collaborated in the project “All of Bach”, and in the City Light Symphony Orchestra’s recording dedicated to John Williams by playing the harpsichord part from The Adventures of Tintin (for the Prospero label).
His records have been received with enthusiasm by the press (three times “Exceptional” by Scherzo, three times “Diapason d’or”, “Maestro” by Pianiste, “Preis der Deutsche Schallplattenkiritk”, “Choc” by Classica magazine…).
He has taught at the Conservatory of Music in Trossingen (Germany), the Conservatory of Geneva, the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, the Summer Academy in Gstaad (Switzerland), the Universitatea Nationala de Muzica Bucaresti (Romania), the Uniwersytet Muzyczny Fryderyka Chopina (Poland), the Fray Joseph de Echevarría Organ Academy and the Summer Academy in Grajal de Campos (Spain).
Bassoon
Giovanni Battista Graziadio is a historical bassoonist, recorder player, researcher, and pedagogue. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Early Music with honors, specializing in recorder, at the Conservatorio “S. Giacomantonio” in Cosenza, and later specialized in historical bassoon at the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste and the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, where he earned both a Master’s degree in Historical Bassoon and a Master’s degree in Music Pedagogy. He also holds a degree in Pharmacy from the University of Calabria.
He is a founding member of Abchordis Ensemble, The Italian Consort, and La Petite Écurie. He has performed throughout Europe and recorded for major labels including Sony DHM, Glossa, Erato, Naïve, Challenge Records, Arcana, Brilliant Classics, and many others. He has collaborated with ensembles such as La Cetra Barockorchester, Freiburger Barockorchester, Kammerorchester Basel, I Barocchisti, Akamus Berlin, Concerto Romano, Academia Montis Regalis, Cappella Neapolitana, Le Musicien du Prince, Il Complesso Barocco, Les Talens Lyriques, Lautten Compagney, Orchester der J. S. Bach-Stiftung, Syntagma Amici, La Fenice, Orfeo Futuro, Ensemble Barocco di Napoli, Compagnia de Violini and the Orchestra La Scintilla.
He currently teaches baroque bassoon at the Conservatorio di Musica “Luca Marenzio” in Brescia (IT) and at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen (DE), and has previously taught recorder at the Conservatorio “Nicola Sala” in Benevento (IT). He has worked as a researcher at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis FHNW, contributing to the musicological and organological volume Fagottini and Tenoroons: Small-Sized Bassoons from the 18th and 19th Centuries (Basel, 2024). He is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Basel on The Use of the Bassoon in Naples Until 1800. Some of the results of his research and publications can be found online at www.historicalbassoon.ch, as well as through the website of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis FHNW (Organology Department) and the project platform 3D Fagottino – Neue alte Klangkörper.
Sackbut
After studying at the Royal Conservatories of Antwerp and The Hague, he embarked on a fascinating journey of discovery through the world of “early music”. He quickly collaborated with leading ensembles in this field: Huelgas Ensemble, Concerto Palatino, Hespérion XX, Les Sacqueboutiers de Toulouse, L’Orchestre des Champs-Elysées, Taverner Consort, Bach-Collegium Japan, Currende, Capella Cracoviensis,… and recorded more than 300 CDs in addition to many successful concert tours.
He managed to make an important contribution to the “rediscovery” of the bass sackbut and professionalized its training.
With the founding of Oltremontano Antwerpen, he formed his own platform for the study and performance practice of historical wind instruments in Flanders. The ensemble recorded several CDs with the ACCENT label and contributed to bringing attention to forgotten musical heritage.
In 2015 he received the prestigious “Christopher Monk” Award from the Historic Brass Society (NY) “for his many virtuoso recordings and concerts in a wide range of styles”. In 2017, WB and his ensemble Oltremontano Antwerpen became Artist in Residence (A.I.R.) at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp, where he brought to life a painting by Hans Memling. In June 2024, the Füssener Festage Alter Musik awarded him the “Gabler Kulturpreis” for his unwavering commitment and many contributions in support of the historical performance practice. Since 2020, he is the professor of historical trombone at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. He also taught at various academies in Antwerp and Brussels. He is the inspiration for many projects and courses worldwide and is a guest conductor at the Capella Cracoviensis in Poland.
Recorder
María Martínez Ayerza was born in Cuenca, where she began her musical studies, continuing them in Seville and the Netherlands. She studied recorder with Paul Leenhouts at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam (MMus, 2006) and completed Musicology studies at the University of Amsterdam (MA cum laude, 2009). María has received several prizes in international music competitions, including First Prize and the ‘Walter Bergmann’ Award at the Moeck/SRP Soloist Competition (London, 2005).
Between 2001 and 2024, María was a member of The Royal Wind Music, an 11-player ensemble specializing in Renaissance repertoire. She is also co-founder of ÆroDynamic (2004–2016), a trio of voices and two recorders combining medieval and contemporary music, and of the recorder quintet Seldom Sene. With these ensembles, or as a guest with other instrumental groups, María frequently performs throughout Europe, has released fifteen recordings to date (Lindoro, Brilliant Classics, and PAN Classics), and has appeared on radio and television.
María is Professor of Recorder at the Royal College of Music in London, focusing on solo, chamber, and consort music up to 1650. She also teaches courses and masterclasses in the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Committed to bringing music to new audiences, she gave over 1,000 performances for young children in nurseries, community centers, and primary schools in Amsterdam in collaboration with the Fundación Momentos Memorables between 2006 and 2016.
María is Editor-in-Chief of “Blokfluitist”, the only Dutch magazine dedicated to the recorder. She was co-founder and, until 2024, a member of the artistic direction of the Open Recorder Days Amsterdam, a biennial international festival and competition, which will hold its seventh edition in July 2026.
Recorder
Andrés Locatelli is an Italian-Argentine recorder player, conductor, and musicologist based in Switzerland. As a performer, he collaborates with leading European early music ensembles such as Il Pomo d’Oro, Les Musiciens du Louvre, La Venexiana, Ensemble Elyma, Musica Temprana, Holland Baroque, and Concerto Italiano, and has recorded for labels including Pentatone, Naïve, and Cobra Records.
His musicological work spans from the Late Middle Ages (Ars Nova and Ars Subtilior) to the Baroque, with a particular focus on the relationship between poetry and music, historically informed performance, and archival research. His academic work has been supported by institutions such as the University of Pavia, the City of Cremona, and the Giorgio Cini Foundation, and he has held positions at Princeton University and New York University.
As a conductor, he focuses on Renaissance and Baroque polyphony, 17th-century opera, and interdisciplinary projects. He conducted the European premiere of Cavalli’s *Veremonda* with Concerto Köln and has collaborated with playwright Jeffrey Döring on music-theatre productions. Recent projects include *Il Trionfo del Tempo oder die Vermessung der Schönheit* and *The Language of Pain*.
In 2018, he founded the ensemble Theatro dei Cervelli, dedicated to rediscovering lesser-known 17th-century Italian repertoire. The ensemble’s debut recording was internationally acclaimed, with new releases planned for 2026.
Locatelli regularly teaches at conservatories and universities across Europe, the United States, and Latin America. Since 2024, he has been part of the Advanced Vocal Ensemble Studies program at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and is a regular guest professor at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. He also collaborates on research projects on Italian music of the 16th and 17th centuries.
Baroque flute
Johanna Bartz is a traverso player and active in various musical fields. She is the founder and artistic director of ensemble astrophil & stella and performs music ranging from Renaissance to contemporary with groups such as Nederlandse Bachvereniging, Le Concert des Nations, Anima Eterna, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Gli Incogniti, Sollazzo, Continuum, Arlequin Philosophe et al. Johanna is professor for historical flutes at the HEM Geneva and teaches the renaissance traverso at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis.
Luis Carlos Ortiz
Conductor
He was born in Cuenca and began his musical studies at the Conservatorio de Música de Madrid, continuing them at the Conservatorio Profesional de Música de Cuenca, where he earned the title of Guitar Professor while simultaneously studying cello, transverse flute, violin, and viola. He completed advanced studies in Orchestral Conducting, Choral Conducting, and Composition in Madrid with distinguished teachers such as Francisco García Nieto, Adrián Cobo, and Antón García Abril. He founded the Cuarteto de Cuenca, serving as both director and cello soloist, and also founded the Orquesta Filarmónica de Cuenca, where he was Principal Conductor. He also participated in the founding of the Orquesta Ciudad de Cuenca. In 1989, he was appointed Principal Conductor of the Coro de Cámara Alonso Lobo.
He has participated in numerous professional development and specialization courses. As director of the Ensemble Barroco «George Frederic Háendel», he toured Castilla-La Mancha, performing the oratorio Messiah to unanimous acclaim from critics and audiences. Notable concerts also include performances in the Czech Republic with the Hradec-Kralove Philharmonic and in Poland with the Toruń Philharmonic and Scenzein Symphony Orchestra.
As a choral conductor, he won the Musicology Prize from the Provincial Council of Cuenca in 1995 for the revival of Tomás Luis de Victoria’s Officium Tenebrarum. With the Coro de Cámara Alonso Lobo, he has toured extensively in Spain, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland, Russia, Ireland, China, Hungary, Portugal, Germany, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia.
As a composer, his work Noche Serena for choir and tubular bells, set to a text by Fray Luis de León, was commissioned by the Ministry of Culture of Castilla-La Mancha to mark the fifteenth anniversary of the Autonomous Community. His compositions for Cuenca’s Holy Week, declared of international tourist interest—such as Las últimas 7 palabras de Cristo en la Cruz, Stabat Mater, O Crux, Dominum Flagelatum, and Ave María—are part of the sound collection of the Museo de la Semana Santa de Cuenca. He currently teaches at the Conservatorio “Pedro Aranaz” in Cuenca.
Juan Carlos Asensio
Gregorian Chant
He began his musical studies at the Escolanía de Santa Cruz del Valle de los Caídos and continued them at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid. He is a contributor to the Répertoire International des Sources Musicales.
He has published various articles in specialized journals, along with transcriptions from the Madrid Codex and the Las Huelgas Codex, and a monograph on Gregorian Chant for Alianza Editorial.
A collaborator of the Atelier de Paléographie Musicale at the Abbey of Solesmes, he has taught Musicology at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Salamanca and at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid. He currently teaches Musicology at the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya.
Since 1996, he has been the director of Schola Antiqua, and since 2001, a member of the Consiglio Direttivo of the Associazione Internazionale Studi di Canto Gregoriano. He is also an associate researcher at CILengua, a member of the Bibliopegia study group, editor of the journal *Estudios Gregorianos*, and a full member of the Academia “San Dámaso” of Ecclesiastical Sciences.
Historical singing
Trained with René Jacobs at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, the Argentine María Cristina Kiehr collaborated from an early stage with renowned artists and pioneers of early music such as Gustav Leonhardt, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Philippe Herreweghe, Frans Brüggen, and Jordi Savall, among others. She has also worked with prestigious ensembles and orchestras including Concerto Köln, Freiburger Barockorchester, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, the Nederlandse Bach Vereniging, and the Wiener Philharmoniker.
Co-founder of the vocal quartet La Colombina and the Daedalus Ensemble, she has developed an intense focus on Renaissance polyphony. With Concerto Soave, she has concentrated particularly on the 17th-century repertoire, especially Italian music—an era of extraordinary richness in which great poets such as Petrarch, Tasso, and Marino were set to music by composers like Monteverdi, d’India, and Mazzocchi.
Kiehr continually expands her artistic horizons, integrating opera, ensemble repertoire, as well as duo projects with vihuela, Baroque guitar, and classical guitar, along with the performance of contemporary music.
She has made numerous recordings for Harmonia Mundi France and performs regularly on stages around the world. She combines her artistic career with teaching, giving masterclasses and serving on the faculty of the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, where she trains new generations of performers.
Baroque violin
Margherita was initiated into the world of the baroque violin as a child by Riccardo Minasi.
Through masterclasses and seminars with maestros such as Bruno Giuranna, Enzo Porta, Rachel Podger and others, she then deepened her repertoire ranging from Renaissance Polyphony to Luigi Nono, and eventually made Early Music her permanent home.
She specialised with Fabio Biondi at the Turin Conservatory, where she graduated with honours.
She is regularly invited as a concertmaster, solo, chamber or orchestral player by ensembles such as il Pomo d’Oro, L’Arpeggiata, Café Zimmermann, I Gemelli, La Chapelle Harmonique and many others, with whom she has performed in the most important European seasons and halls (Opéra de Versailles, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Teatro Real de Madrid, Palau de la musica Catalana, Barbican Centre London, Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht, Radio France, Auditorium de Lyon…) and around the globe.
With her recitals project Il Violino Fantastico she has been invited to relevant institutions such as the Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik, the Pietà dei Turchini Foundation in Naples and the Festival Autour des Cordes in Senegal.
With the recitals project Il Violino Fantastico she has been invited to relevant institutions such as the Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik, the Pietà dei Turchini Foundation in Naples and the Úbeda and Baeza Early Music Festival among others.
The Music of Dufay and Binchois Through Their Sources
Pablo F. Cantalapiedra is a musicologist and performer specializing in medieval repertories, with a particular focus on liturgical chant and polyphony from the 14th to the 16th centuries. He has taught early music at the Autonomous University of Madrid, the European University of Madrid, and the Complutense University of Madrid, where he is currently a predoctoral researcher.
Since 2018, he has directed Timpanum, with which he has developed projects dedicated to the recovery of previously unrecorded repertoire, such as the album Hymns and Chants to the Martyrdom of Justo and Pastor (2025), in collaboration with Eduardo Paniagua. He is also a member of Entrebescant, with whom he released El cantar del destierro in 2025, a musical project centered on the epic of El Cid.
Oboe
José Manuel Cuadrado Sánchez (Spain, 1992) is an oboist specializing in historical performance on period instruments. After graduating in modern oboe in Seville, he moved to The Hague to study historical performance under the guidance of Frank de Bruine. He later completed two master’s degrees in performance specialization at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis with Katharina Arfken and Ian Harrison.
He has collaborated with various international ensembles and orchestras dedicated to early music, including Capriccio Baroque Ensemble, Orquesta Barroca de Sevilla, Capricornus Ensemble, J. S. Bach-Stiftung, Kölner Akademie, Hofkapelle München, and Collegium 1700, among others.
He has participated in numerous early music festivals and concert series, such as Fundación Juan March, Otoño Barroco, FeMÀS – Festival de Música Antigua de Sevilla, Clásicos en Verano, the Álava Early Music Festival, and the Vélez-Blanco Early Music Festival. He also performed at FEMUBA with his ensemble Flor Galante, winning first prize at the IV International Bach Competition in Berlin.
He has made recordings with ensembles including Hofkapelle München, Camerata Vivaldiana, Collegium 1700, J. S. Bach-Stiftung, and Camerata Soler.
José Manuel has twice been awarded the scholarship of the Asociación de Amigos de la Orquesta Barroca de Sevilla (AAOBS) (2015/2016 and 2018/2019) and was a speaker at the International Double Reed Society congress in 2018.
Historical Percussion
Lorenzo D’Erasmo (1993) graduated in Percussion Instruments with Andrea Pestalozza at the Conservatorio “G. Verdi” in Milan and continued his studies at the Hochschule für Musik in Freiburg with Bernhard Wulff. He completed a Master’s in Medieval Ensemble Music at the Civica Scuola di Musica “Claudio Abbado” with Claudia Caffagni.
Initially specialized in contemporary music, he has collaborated with ensembles such as Sentieri Selvaggi, MDI Ensemble, and Divertimento Ensemble, performing at festivals including MI.TO, Biennale di Venezia, and MilanoMusica. He has worked with composers like Beat Furrer and Unsuk Chin, and conductors such as Tito Ceccherini. He has recorded for Stradivarius and Limenmusic.
Since 2017, he has studied frame drums with Andrea Piccioni and Murat Coşkun, completing advanced training at the Frame Drum Academy of the “Tamburi Mundi” Festival in Freiburg. His focus on historical and traditional percussion connects early music with contemporary practices.
He has taught masterclasses and courses at conservatories and festivals in Milan, Como, and Campobasso, and collaborates with Studio Salotto in Prova. Lorenzo also works with early music ensembles such as La Reverdie and Acadèmia Capella de Ministrers, as well as in Arabic music and electronic improvisation projects.
Sabina Colonna-Preti
Viola de Gamba
Sabina Colonna Preti, born in Milan, graduated in cello from the “Niccolò Paganini” Conservatory in Genoa under the guidance of Alfredo Riccardi. She later specialized in the technique and performance practice of early instruments, studying viola da gamba and Baroque cello with Roberto Gini at the Civica Scuola di Musica in Milan. She subsequently obtained her diploma in viola da gamba at the “Santa Cecilia” Conservatory in Rome.
She has developed an extensive concert career, performing on viola da gamba, violone, and lirone as a member of numerous ensembles, and collaborating with internationally renowned musicians such as Claudio Abbado, Philippe Pierlot, Jill Feldman, Roberto Gini, and Kees Boeke. She has recorded for several labels, including Astrée Auvidis, Glossa, K617, Naïve, Opus 111, MA Recordings, Stradivarius, Symphonia, Naxos, Tactus, Nuova Era, Giulia, Accord, Amadeus, Rivo Alto, Chandos, and LA MUSICA.
In 2001, she founded *La Chimera*, a flexible ensemble made up of musicians who regularly collaborate with some of the most prominent early music groups. With La Chimera, together with Eduardo Egüez, she created and recorded for the MA Recordings label *Buenos Aires Madrigal*, a program that brings together and contrasts Argentine tango with Italian madrigals, and *Tonos y Tonadas*, a fusion of Spanish Baroque music and Latin American folk traditions.
For the Naïve label, again with La Chimera, she conceived and recorded *La Voce di Orfeo – Gli Amori di Francesco Rasi*, a program structured in three parts, each representing a different state of love. The CD has received several distinctions from the international press. Her most recent project, released by Naïve, is *ODISEA NEGRA – El mar de las memorias*, dedicated to Afro-descendant memories between Africa and the Caribbean. For the LA MUSICA label, she has worked on *Misa Criolla – Misa de indios*, *Gracias a la vida*, *Iguzú*, and *Lachrimae*, featuring music by J. Dowland.
In January 2004, she founded a children’s orchestra, *Pequeñas Huellas – Crecer en Orquesta* (of which Maestro Claudio Abbado described himself as the “grandfather”), creating a project that brings together children from all over the world, using music as a tool for peace, fraternity, and cultural exchange. The orchestra’s first performance took place in Cuba in February 2004, under the auspices of the University of Valladolid. In February 2005, again in Cuba, she recorded a live album with the *Pequeñas Huellas* orchestra, featuring previously unpublished material from a Peruvian manuscript dated 1780.
In 2008, in Turin, within the framework of *Terra Madre*, she organized the First International Youth Meeting for Peace, Fraternity, and Dialogue, bringing together 300 young people from around the world, who performed at the RAI Auditorium. In 2009, also in Turin, for *Lingua Madre*, she organized an international concert-gathering of 200 young people dedicated to the disappeared, titled *El olvido está lleno de memoria* (“Forgetting is full of memory”). That same year, in Argentina, she organized the First Latin American Youth Meeting for Peace, Brotherhood, and Dialogue, participating with a concert at the closing ceremony of the *World March for Peace*, held in Punta de Vacas (Mendoza).
The *International Orchestra for Peace Pequeñas Huellas* performs regularly in concerts with hundreds of young musicians from all over the world. In 2011, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the *Giromondo for Peace* officially began—a “musical journey in search of peace,” aimed at presenting the host country’s authorities with the *Charter of Young People for a World Without Violence*, written by the children of *Pequeñas Huellas* in 2010, encouraging each state to adopt it as an official text in its schools.
*Pequeñas Huellas* has received the 2011 Special Peace Prize from the Lombardy Region and the International *Arca d’Oro Giovani Talenti* Award. Since 2007, she has taught viola da gamba at the Turin Conservatory. Together with Eduardo Egüez and Davide Livermore, she founded the *Marchesato Opera Festival* in Saluzzo, overseeing its artistic and educational direction from its creation until 2021.
