The name of the ensemble is derived from a collection of pieces by Italian composer Paolo Quagliati, in the beginning of the 17th century. These pieces were written for one singer, an obbligatto melodic instrument, and continuo, a standard format of the Seconda Pratica or Baroque style.
Founded in January 2006 by Claudia Liliana Gantívar, Esfera Armoniosa is made up of members educated at various European and American schools whose objective is to explore, research and perform renaissance and baroque music. As such, they perform on copies of original period instruments. Its repertory includes music from the 15th to the 18th centuries, and the number of performers varies, depending on repertory needs.
Since the beginning, the ensemble has performed in various different venues in Colombia, including Festivals ike, the Sacred Music Festival in Pamplona, and the Early Music Festival in Villa de Leyva. In March 2008 the group was selected for the opening of the didactic concert series at Biblioteca Luis Ángel Arango, which was followed by a national concert tour in the various halls of Banco de la República in Colombia. In July 2008 the ensemble won the Concert Cycle competition of the Secretary of Culture, which is coordinated by the Bogota Philharmonic Orchestra.
Internationally the group has performed in great Early Music festivals including, Lima (Perú) in 2012, Quito (Ecuador) in 2016, and in April 2017 a concert tour in California (USA) including concerts in Berkeley, Santa Cruz and San Francisco.
In 2011, the group published its first CD “Io vo Cantar” with Italian music of the early 17th century. As such, this is the first Colombian ensemble to record this type of repertory. This production received great reviews and compliments from radio and journal critics in Colombia. Recently, in June 2015 after a concert tour in Colombia, the group came up with the recording of their second CD “Que dulce violencia”, which includes European and colonial American composers influenced by the Baroque Spanish Music.
