Founded in 2005 by Argentine conductor Leonardo García Alarcón, Cappella Mediterranea has swiftly become the leading Baroque ensemble in the world. Driven by the insatiable curiosity of its conductor, the ensemble constantly seeks to broaden its horizons with a wide range of repertoire.
LEONARDO GARCÍA ALARCÓN
As the founder and artistic director of Cappella Mediterranea, the Argentine conductor is always inciting his musicians to embark on a passionate exploration of all kinds of music, from baroque to contemporary, and even tango.
“There is a phenomenal energy to Leonardo García Alarcón and Cappella Mediterranea, a movement that holds you captive until the end.”
Thierry Guyenne for Opéra Magazine on the ensemble’s 2021 recording of Orfeo
“In the pit, Cappella Mediterranea displays a magnetic sensuality. In this sumptuous setting, strings croon and woodwinds intertwine..”
Marie-Aude Roux for Le Monde on the Geneva 2022 production of Atys
Our history
2005
Founding of the ensemble by Leonardo García Alarcón.
2009
First recording breakthrough with the release of ‘Barbara Strozzi, virtuosissima compositrice’, which was lauded by critics.
2010
First major triumph with the unearthing of Michelangelo Falvetti’s oratorio, Il Diluvio Universale, at the Ambronay Festival.
2013
Francesco Cavalli’s Elena at Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.
2016
Ensemble’s debut at Paris Opera with Cavalli’s Eliogabalo.
2017
Cavalli’s Il Giasone at the Grand Théâtre de Genève – South American tour.
2018
Residency at the Opéra de Dijon with a production of Antonio Draghi’s El Prometeo.
2019
Triumphant production of Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Indes Galantes at Opéra Bastille, staged by Clément Cogitore and choreographed by Bintou Dembélé.
2020
With the COVID-19 crisis, the ensemble increases its virtual performances, including Luigi Rossi’s Il Palazzo incantato at the Opéra de Dijon.
2022
Creation of La Passione di Gesù, Leonardo García Alarcón’s first major composition.
A year in numbers
60
Performances and concerts
2
CD releases & recordings
2
Opera productions
14
Concert programmes
8
Countries
150
Artists
The artists
Like all independent ensembles, Cappella Mediterranea’s musicians are recruited on a project-by-project basis. Nevertheless, there are several musicians who form the heart and backbone of our orchestra, many of whom have been there from the start.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Quito Gato studied piano and guitar, as well as conducting, composition, the recorder and percussion, first in his home country, then in Santiago de Chile, Brasilia, Curitiba and Boston. From 1992 onwards, he studied early music under the guidance of Hopkinson Smith and Eduardo Egüez. Since then, he has performed as a director, soloist, and member of various ensembles He is one of the founding members of Cappella Mediterranea.
Mónica Pustilnik
Archiluth – Baroque guitar
After studying guitar and piano in Argentina, Mónica Pustilnik took up the lute and early music at the Schola Cantorum in Basel with Hopkinson Smith. She performs regularly as a soloist and chamber musician, and in opera and oratorio productions. She performs and records regularly with renowned ensembles such as Le Concert d’Astrée, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Les Talens Lyriques, Les Arts Florissants and many others. Trained as a conductor, she has assisted in directing numerous operas, and has conducted Cavalli’s Elena at the Angers Nantes Opéra. She is a key member of Cappella Mediterranea.
Margaux Blanchard
Viola da gamba
Viola da gamba artist Margaux Blanchard has been awarded several distinctions and is one of the youngest graduates of the Schola Cantorum in Basel, where she studied under Paolo Pandolf. She founded the Les Ombres ensemble in 2008. The year before, she met maestro al cembalo Leonardo García Alarcón. Since then, she has performed with him regularly as a duo and as part of Cappella Mediterranea.
Amandine Solano
Violin
Amandine Solano studied baroque violin and early music with Florence Malgoire at Geneva’s Haute Ecole de Musique. She has worked with ensembles such as Cappella Mediterranea, Genève Baroque, Elyma, La Sinfonie Bohémienne, Os Musicos de Capella, Clematis and Le Palais Royal, and regularly performs in chamber music concerts with Patrick Bismuth, Serge Saitta, Florence Malgoire, Gilles Thomé and Maria Cristina Kiehr, just to name a few. She is also a founding member of the Le Petit Trianon ensemble, which specialises in 18th- and 19th-century music. Amandine plays on one of Aegidius Klotz’s violins, which dates from 1777.
Ariel Rychter
Harpsichord – Organ
After graduating from Buenos Aires’ Conservatorio Superiór de Música, Ariel Rychter went on to study early music in France and Switzerland at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Genève, where he studied harpsichord and conducting in the ‘Maestro al Cembalo’ class. He collaborates with Cappella Mediterranea, Clematis and Dolce Fortuna and founded the Chromos ensemble. He teaches at Geneva’s Conservatoire de Musique, training young students to assimilate the aesthetic features of early music.
Jacopo Raffaele
Harpsichord – Organ
Born in Bari (Southern Italy) in 1988, Jacopo Raffaele is a composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist. After graduating in piano and harpsichord at the conservatory in his home town, he joined Leonardo García Alarcón’s Maestro al Cembalo class at the Haute École de Musique in Geneva, where he obtained his Master’s degree in 2015. Since 2016, he has played the harpsichord with Cappella Mediterranea in a number of opera productions (Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Opéra de Paris, Opéra de Dijon, tours of Europe and South America). As Leonardo García Alarcón’s assistant conductor, he sometimes conducts the ensemble.
Meet the team
Claire Baudo
Managing director
Cécile Delloye
Head of development and cultural activities
Romain Labriet
Production manager
Adeline Rahms
Head of production
Nicolas Chanson
Financial and administrative manager
François de Maleissye-Melun
Communications manager
Fabián Schofrin
Music assistant
Jérôme Vavasseur
Librarian
Rodrigo Calveyra
Music assistant
Our partners
Opéra National de Lorraine
The Opéra National de Lorraine has been a partner for many years, notably inviting Cappella Mediterranea to perform Handel’s Alcina in 2020 and Luigi Rossi’s Il Palazzo incantato in 2021, in addition to numerous concerts and operas in concert.
Maison de la Radio – Radio France
Over the last few years, Leonardo García Alarcón has forged a special relationship with the Maison de la Radio and above all its orchestra, the Philharmonique de Radio France. On several occasions, he has been invited to conduct the orchestra in a variety of programmes. This has provided opportunities to partner up with Cappella Mediterranea. For example, in 2023, the two ensembles collaborated in the Art de la fugue programme. In addition to these precious collaborations, Cappella Mediterranea is often invited to perform at the Auditorium de Radio-France, most notably in 2021 with Monteverdi’s splendid Vespers.
Opéra national de Paris
En 2016, Cappella Mediterranea debuted at the Opéra de Paris with a production of Francesco Cavalli’s Eliogabalo in Salle Garnier, with staging by Thomas Jolly. In 2019, Cappella Mediterranea returned to Paris, but this time to the Opéra Bastille, with a successful production of Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Indes Galantes, directed by Clément Cogitore and choreographed by Bintou Dembélé.
Festival d’Aix-en-Provence
Cappella Mediterranea is a regular at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence. It was first invited in 2013 to perform Cavalli’s Elena, followed by Erismena (also by Cavalli) in 2017, and Monteverdi’s Coronation of Poppea in 2022, in addition to numerous concerts and operas in concert.
Château de Versailles Spectacles
Château de Versailles Spectacles is a record label and musical programmer that has been a long-standing partner of Cappella Mediterranea, which now regularly performs in Paris, whether at the Opéra Royal with Sacrati’s La Finta Pazza in 2019 or Monteverdi’s L’Incorazione di Poppea in 2022, or at the Chapelle Royale with Draghi’s Il dono della vita eterna in 2023
Centre Culturel de Rencontre d’Ambronay
As the birthplace of the ensemble, Ambronay occupies a special place among Cappella Mediterranea’s partners. Leonardo García Alarcón and his ensemble are regulars at the Festival d’Ambronay and put on a concert at the Abbey every year. It was here that Leonardo García Alarcón’s first major composition, the oratorio La Passione di Gesù premiered.
Grand Théâtre de Genève
The Grand Théâtre de Genève is a privileged partner of Cappella Mediterranea, thanks to Leonardo García Alarcón’s desire to form ties with the local community. The ensemble has been invited to perform there on numerous occasions, including productions of Rameau’s Les Indes Galantes in 2019, and Lully’s Atys in 2022.
Opéra de Dijon
From 2018 to 2020, Cappella Mediterranea held a residency at the Opéra de Dijon, coming up with ambitious opera productions that included La Finta Pazza in 2019 and Il Palazzo incantato in 2020.
Alpha classics
Cappella Mediterranea has entered into a partnership with Alpha Classics to continue to develop its recording activities.
La Cité Bleue
Leonardo García Alarcón is the director of this new concert hall in Geneva, which will host Cappella Mediterranea in residency and provide a venue for the ensemble to share its projects with audiences.
The CAV&MA, Centre d’Art Vocal & de Musique Ancienne de Namur, hosts residencies for Cappella Mediterranea and provides opportunities for the ensemble to share its projects with audiences.
