Musicians

Founded in 2009, Ensemble Bonne Corde is dedicated to the study and rediscovery of early music, bringing together a flexible and diverse group of instrumentalists with a strong commitment to historically informed performance practices.

Under the artistic direction of cellist and researcher Diana Vinagre, the ensemble specialises in eighteenth-century repertoire in which the cello assumes a prominent role, both in instrumental and vocal music, as an obbligato instrument.

Within this framework, particular emphasis is placed on the discovery and revival of several works from the Portuguese sacred repertoire of the Classical period presented in modern premieres. These works explore an innovative use of basso continuo instruments, a subject that formed the core of Diana Vinagre’s doctoral research.

Among the ensemble’s forthcoming projects are two recordings for the prestigious Belgian label Ramée/Outhere: the complete Lamentations for Holy Week by the Belgian composer J.-H. Fiocco, featuring soloists Ana Quintans, Ana Vieira Leite and Hugo Oliveira, released in November 2022; and the first-ever recording of the Concerti grossi by António Pereira da Costa (c. 1697–1770), the only known work of this genre within the Portuguese context. This latter project was funded by the GDA Foundation and the Ministry of Culture – DGArtes, and was scheduled for release in May 2023.

Among the ensemble’s recent projects, particular note should also be made of its participation in the XXXVII Ciclo de Cámara con los Stradivarius de la Colección Real (Madrid, 2021), during which Diana Vinagre had the opportunity to perform on the prestigious 1700 Stradivarius cello from the Spanish National Heritage collection, becoming the first woman to present a concert on this instrument.