Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea

Cappella Mediterranea was founded in 2005 by the Swiss-Argentinian conductor Leonardo García-Alarcón, originally to serve Latin Baroque music. Ten years on, its repertoire has diversified: with over 50concerts a year, the ensemble explores madrigal, polyphonic motet and opera. In just a few years, the ensemble has made a name for itself with the rediscovery of previously unpublished works such as Michelangelo Falvetti’s Il Diluvio universale and Nabucco, as well as with new versions of works from the repertoire such as Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo and Bach’s Mass in B minor. 

In residence at the Opéra de Dijon between 2018 and 2020, the ensemble has produced a series of rediscoveries of works such as Draghi’s El Prometeo, Sacrati’s La Finta pazza in 2019 and Rossi’s Il Palazzo incantato in 2020. The ensemble takes part in the triumph of Rameau’s Indes Galantes at the Opéra Bastille, recognized as the best production of 2019 by Forumopéra and the New York Times. In 2022, Cappella Mediterranea makes a name for itself with two successful opera productions: Lully’s Atys in Geneva and Versailles, staged by Angelin Preljocaj, and Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea staged by Ted Huffman at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, and subsequently revived in Versailles, Valence and Toulon. In 2024, the ensemble takes part in its first Mozart opera, Idomeneo, at Grand Théâtre de Genève, before an audacious rereading of Bach’s St John Passion, choreographed by Sasha Waltz, in Salzburg, Dijon and in the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris. 

Cappella Mediterranea’s discography includes over thirty critically acclaimed recordings. Recent releases include Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo (Alpha classic, 2021) and Sacrati’s La Finta pazza (Château de Versailles Spectacles, 2022). In 2024 is published Amore Siciliano (Alpha) and in 2025 Philippe d’Orléans’ La Jérusalem délivrée before Lully’s Atys (Château de Versailles Spectacles). 

Cappella Mediterranea is supported by the Ministry of Culture – DRAC Auvergne Rhône Alpes, the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, the City of Geneva, a Swiss family foundation, a Geneva private foundation, Brigitte Lescure, and by its Circle of Friends and its Circle of Entrepreneurs with Diot-Siac, Chatillon Architects, Synapsys and 400 Partners 

Cappella Mediterranea is a member of the Fevis (Federation of Specialized Vocal and Instrumental Ensembles) and CNM (National Center of Music). 

For more information about Cappella Mediterranea, please visit their website.

After studying piano in Argentina, Leonardo García-Alarcón moved to Europe in 1997 and joined the Geneva Conservatoire in the class of harpsichordist Christiane Jaccottet. In 2005, he founded his own ensemble, Cappella Mediterranea, before taking over the direction of the Chœur de chambre de Namur in 2010. He quickly became a highly acclaimed conductor, thanks to his concert creations at Ambronay and his rediscoveries of little-known works by Sacrati, Cavalli, Draghi, Falvetti and D’India. As a conductor and harpsichordist, he is sought after by the greatest musical and operatic institutions: Opéra de Paris, La Zarzuela de Madrid, Le Grand Théâtre de Genève, Staatsoper Berlin and others. He is a regular guest with Les Violons du Roy in Canada, the Radio France orchestra and the Gulbenkian Orchestra. After his triumphant direction of Rameau’s Indes Galantes at the Opéra Bastille, he was named best conductor in Forum Opéra’s 2019 awards. His most recent successful productions include Lully’s Atys, directed by Angelin Preljocaj (Geneva and Versailles 2022), Monteverdi’s The Coronation of Poppea directed by Ted Huffman (Aix-en-Provence 2022). The last few years have been marked by major international successes, including a Monteverdi program, The 7 Deadly Sins, at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and the Berlin Philharmonic in November 2023, as well as new collaborations with choreographers: W. A. Mozart’s Idomeneo, re di Creta in February 2024 at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, directed and choreographed by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, and J. S. Bach’s St John Passion choreographed by Sasha Waltz, performed in 2024 at the Salzburg Easter Festival, the Opéra de Dijon and the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. 

In September 2022, a new chapter opens in his career with the premiere of his oratorio Pasión Argentina, his first major contemporary composition. 

Leonardo García-Alarcón is director of La Cité Bleue, a 300-seat concert hall, which opened in 2024.  

Leonardo García-Alarcón is a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.