The ensemble formed in 1968 under Vittorio Antonellini’s direction. Their repertoire embraces a wide range of musical epochs, from Baroque to contemporary music. As the artist are internationally acclaimed, they have held tours in the most prestigious theatres in the world, from Africa to America, from Europe to the Middle and Far East. It is worth mentioning some of the most prestigious music establishments and concert halls in which they have played, such as Berlin’s Philharmonic, Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, Vienna’s Musikverein, Paris’s Salle Gaveau, London’s Wigmore Hall, Madrid’s Teatro Real, as well as the legendary New York’s Carnegie Hall, just to name a few. They have also enriched some important festivals, like Bern’s, Bratislava’s, Ljubljana’s, Venice’s, Stresa’s Festivals.
The ensemble has also collaborated with several world-renowned artists like Maurice André, Felix Ayo, Paul Badura Skoda, Hermann Baumann, Michele Campanella, Severino Gazzelloni, Jean Pierre Rampal, Angela Hewitt, Krzysztof Penderecki, Massimo Mercelli, Salvatore Accardo, Luis Bacalov, Andrea Griminelli, Giovanni Sollima, Mischa Maisky, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Mario Brunello, Shlomo Mintz, Richard Galliano, Gerard Korsten, Manuel Barrueco, Marco Rizzi, Andrea Lucchesini, Giuliano Carmignola, Peter Eötvös, Kolja Blacher, Uto Ughi, Sergej Krylov and the actor John Malkovich.
As entitled witnesses of the musica scene, Solisti Aquilani have been protagonists numerous times by holding concerts at the Palazzo del Quirinale to celebrate the national Republic Day and to welcome foreign State Affairs heads of state in the presence of the Italian President of the Republic and the highest offices in the state, which have been broadcast live on the state channel Rai 1 as well as the state radio station Rai Radio 3.
In 2019 they presented the project “A New Season” at the European Parliament headquarter in Bruxelles and in Palazzo Montecitorio in Rome. “A New Season” is a manifesto in defense of nature with a performance of Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons from an environmental perspective.
Pioneers of the Italian contemporary music scene, I Solisti Aquilani have performed world premieres of major Italian composers throughout the years, such as Alessandro Solbiati, Ennio Morricone, Marco Tutino, Marcello Panni, Fabio Vacchi, Ivan Fedele, Nicola Campogrande, Silvia Colasanti, Carlo Boccadoro, Fabio Massimo Capogrosso, Carlo Galante, Roberta Vacca, Mauro Cardi, Francesco Antonioni, Filippo Del Corno, Gianvincenzo Cresta, and Federico Maria Sardelli.
The group has numerous reconrdings for many important labels such as Warner Classics, Brilliant Classics, EMA Vinci, MUSO, Universal, Dynamic, Bongiovanni, Naxos Deutschland, Nova Era Records and Koch-Schwann that have been produced throughout the years.
In 2026, a new CD released by Arcana dedicated to AntonioVivaldi’s compositions will be published. It will highlight the collaboration by violinist Giuliano Carmignola.
I Solisti Aquilani have been “Resident orchestra” in the Concert Society in Milan for the three-year period 2025/2027. Maurizio Cocciolito has taken on the I Solisti Aquilani artistic direction since 2013. Daniele Orlando is the first violin.
