The name of the Basel-based La Cetra Baroque Orchestra is taken from Antonio Vivaldi's violin concerto op. 9 "La Cetra" (the lyre). It stands for the orchestra's core repertoire, Italian instrumental music of the 18th century. In addition to concertante operas, works of Italian Renaissance and Baroque music and the rediscovery of unknown masterpieces, La Cetra and its associated vocal ensemble are predestined for the performance of great works for choir and orchestra from the Renaissance to the Classical period.
La Cetra is now one of the world's leading baroque orchestras, and the ensemble is more internationally present than ever before, with performances in the most important concert halls such as the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Philharmonie de Paris, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Vienna Konzerthaus, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Theater an der Wien, Carnegie Hall New York and at renowned festivals such as Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik, Festival de Granada, Festival Aix-en-Provence and many more. In August 2023, La Cetra held a residency at the Musikfest Bremen. La Cetra owes its dynamic development in particular to the award-winning harpsichordist and conductor Andrea Marcon, who has been the orchestra's musical director since 2009.
La Cetra's credo is that academic research, intensive study of historical instruments, performance practice and the historical context of the works performed ultimately serve a single purpose: to make early music accessible to people today in vivid, gripping, contemporary interpretations. La Cetra was awarded the European Early Music Prize for this in 2009.
La Cetra also works as an opera orchestra, realising a baroque opera production with the Basel Theatre every season, and has also been a guest at the Dutch National Opera and La Scala di Milano with scenic productions.
Numerous CD recordings, which have been highly praised by the press, document La Cetra's rich output. Recent releases include the three-CD recording of Leclair's violin concertos with Leila Schayegh – which won the Diapason d'Or – as well as the albums "Sopranista" with Samuel Mariño, "Traversée" with Patricia Petibon and "A tribute to Bach" with Maurice Steger.
The CD release of Monteverdi's "Vespro di Natale" with Andrea Marcon on Deutsche Grammophon in October 2022 was enthusiastically received by the public and the press.