Who we are
Diego Fasolis
Diego Fasolis is recognised worldwide as one of the greatest interpreters of art music from the Renaissance to the 20^(th) century. As a guest conductor, he has collaborated with some of the world's leading ensembles and soloists, including Cecilia Bartoli, Plácido Domingo, Nathalie Stutzmann, Sonja Jončeva, Max Emanuel Cenčić and Philippe Jaroussky.He is a leading exponent of 'historically informed interpretations', performing on ancient instruments.
Renowned for his philological research, stylistic rigour, versatility and virtuosity, he has performed at the world's most prestigious music seasons and festivals as both a guest maestro and conductor of the Coro della Radiotelevisione svizzera and I Barocchisti. He completed his studies in Zurich, Paris, Cremona and Vienna, obtaining four diplomas with distinction. He began his international career as an organ recitalist, performing the complete works by Bach, Buxtehude, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Franck and Liszt, several times.
He started working with RSI (Radio and Television of Southern Switzerland) in 1986 and became the choir's director in 1993. Three years later, he founded the historical instrument ensemble 'I Barocchisti', alongside his wife Adriana Brambilla and Duilio Galfetti, building on the pioneering work of Edwin Loehrer. Through this ensemble, he has made a significant contribution to the global concert and recording scene, producing over 120 award-winning titles. This outstanding body of work has brought Southern Switzerland worldwide fame.
Diego Fasolis has regularly performed at the Salzburg Festival, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the Parco della Musica in Rome, the Lincoln Center in New York, the Berlin Philharmonic and the Teatro alla Scala. The renowned Milanese theatre entrusted him with establishing its orchestra using original instruments. Nikolaus Harnoncourt invited him to conduct Beethoven's 'Symphony No. 9' several times at the Musikverein in Vienna with the Concentus Musicus Wien and the Arnold Schoenberg Chor.
He has received numerous awards, including the Disc d'Or, the Grand Prix du Disque, the Echo Klassik, the ICMA, the Diapason d'Or and the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik. He has also received several Grammy Award nominations.
Pope Benedict XVI awarded him an honorary doctorate in recognition of his dedication to performing sacred music, particularly the works of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, known as the 'Princeps Musicae'. In 2013, he founded the Adriana pro Musica e Natura Foundation in memory of his prematurely deceased wife to support young musicians and promote respect for nature.
In 2023, he received the Doron Prize in Zug, and in 2024, he was presented with the Forlì Musica Prize to celebrate the 100^(th) anniversary of the Amici dell'Arte association.
I Barocchisti
I Barocchisti are internationally acclaimed as a leading ensemble specialising in performing ancient repertoire on historical instruments. They have taken up the legacy of the Lugano Chamber Music Society, which was founded by Edwin Loehrer and is now led by Diego Fasolis. Over the past few decades, I Barocchisti have collaborated with the Coro RSI on various concerts and recordings, including Bach productions for ARTS label which are widely regarded as definitive.
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Coro della Radiotelevisione Svizzera
Founded in 1936 by the St Gallen musicologist Edwin Löhner, the Coro della Radiotelevisione svizzera gained international recognition through radio and record recordings of Italian repertoire from the 16^(th) to the 19^(th) century. After the leadership of Francis Travis and André Ducret, Diego Fasolis was appointed choirmaster in 1993 and developed a rich programme of concerts and recordings. The choir has received numerous awards from specialist publications for its recordings released with labels including Arts, Chandos, Decca, EMI, Erato, Harmonia Mundi, Naxos, Virgin and RSI Multimedia. These awards include the Golden Disc, Grand Prix du Disque, Diapason d'Or, Star of FonoForum and Alte Musik Aktuell.
