Orquesta Barroca De Granada

The Granada Baroque Orchestra [Orquesta Barroca de Granada] is a Spanish musical ensemble established as a cultural association, based in Granada, and devoted to the performance of Baroque music by European authors —and, specially, that by Andalusian composers— with historically informed criteria and using period instruments. Apart from its concert activity, the Granada Baroque Orchestra plays a strongly educational role by organizing masterclasses on performance with period instruments and historically informed criteria, aimed at young musicians who wish to receive specialized orchestral training in this kind of repertoire. Founded in 2002 by Pablo Heras-Casado, since 2007 its Principal Conductor has been the harpsichordist Darío Moreno. Since its refoundation in 2007, the orchestra has been conducted by important guest conductors, such as Barry Sargent, Peter Biely, Peter Zajíček, Alfred Cañamero, and Elena Borderías, among others. It has performed concerts in relevant musical seasons, like the Festival Internacional de Música y Danza de Granada, Festival de Música Antigua de Granada (MAG), Cátedra Manuel de Falla of the University of Granada, Semana Internacional de Órgano de Granada, Circuito Andaluz de Música, Muestra de Música Antigua "Castillo de Aracena" (Huelva), Ciclo "Francisco Guerrero" (Ronda, Málaga), Festival de Música Renacentista y Barroca de Vélez Blanco (Almería), and Festival de Música Clásica "Ciudad de Huéscar" (Granada), among others. Moreover, it has performed concerts in prestigious concert halls, like the Manuel de Falla Auditorium (Granada) and the National Auditorium of Music (Madrid), where it performed Georg Friedrich Händel’s Messiah in 2013, receiving great acclaim from both the public and critics. Besides, the orchestra has collaborated with important groups, such as the Choir of the Polytechnic University of Madrid or Íliber Ensemble, as well as with renowned soloists, such as Bob van Asperen, Bart Vandewege, Michael Form, David Hernandez Anfruns, Raquel Andueza, Eva Juárez, Olalla Alemán, Aurora Peña, Soledad Cardoso, and Marta Infante. In 2011, the Granada Baroque Orchestra recorded its first album, Ciel e terra, released on the label IBS Classical. The album included a selection of arias by Handel, performed by the tenor David Hernández Anfruns as the soloist, and with Darío Moreno as the conductor, gaining great praise from both Spanish and international specialized critics. In 2017, the orchestra started the first Baroque opera season in Granada, with the support of the Department of Culture of the City Council, staging the opera La guerra de los gigantes by Sebastián Durón (1660-1716). In 2019, it carried out its second staged production with the performance of the Baroque zarzuela Acis y Galatea by Antonio de Literes (1673-1747) in the Manuel de Falla Auditorium, in a clear commitment to the recovering and enhancement of the Spanish musical heritage.