LA FOLLIA Baroque Ensemble - Timisoara

The Baroque Ensemble La Follia has specialized in the music of 17 and 18 centuries. The ensemble sets out to promote the music of that period through concerts, recordings, and collaborations with other musicians or ensembles. The members of La Follia perform on instruments, which are identical replicas of instruments used at the time; the tuning is at A 415 Hertz instead of the usual modern 440 Hertz. The players, all with outstanding soloist virtues, attain authenticity by making the most of their considerable experience with opera, symphonic and chamber music, an experience, which they have acquired through their extensive training in this special domain. All the members of the group have graduate and postgraduate degrees in the field.

The Ensemble La Follia worked together since 2002. The concert activity of the ensemble began in 2005 with concerts held in Timisoara, Romania. In the spring of the same year, the members of La Follia collaborate in concerts with the Collegium Stravagante, baroque ensemble from Bucharest. This collaboration led to other international projects and concerts with Academia Santa Cecilia, Rome, Roma Barocca Ensemble, and the participation in the International Music Festival Mezza Estate in Italy. Due to the success of the opera Decebalo composed by Leonardo Leo in 1473 presented in collaboration with Roma Barocca Ensemble as a world premiere, the members of La Follia were invited to collaborate in concerts held by the reputable Italian chamber orchestra Vox Aurae. Among the prestigious venues where concerts were held to great acclaim we could mention El Escorial in Madrid and Santander International Festival.

La Follia appears in concerts throughout Europe as part of governmental projects of the Romanian Cultural Institute “Romania in Advent” in the churches Saint Severin, and Notre Dame des Blancs Manteaux in Paris, the Saint Leu Cathedral in Amiens, Theatre du Chateau from the city of Eu, the Musical Auditorium in Calais, St.John’s sub Castro – Lewes (GB), St. Luke and Christ Church – Londra, Waalse Kerk – Amsterdam, Cathedrale de St. Michel et Gudule – Bruxelles, Eglise St. Michel - Luxembourg. Alongside the group, concertized french recorder performer Jean-Pierre Menuge.

Further concert schedule brought La Follia at the occasion of the inauguration of the BBC radio in Timisoara, a concert tour in Templar churches in the South of France and Bordeaux – Perigord, concerts of prestigious international festivals such as The International Festival of Ancient Music, Miercurea Ciuc, The International Classical Music Festival Toamna Clujeana organized by The Cluj Philarmonic, The International Chamber Music Festival organized by The Brasov Philarmonic, The International Music Festival Timisoara Musicala organized by The Timisoara Philarmonic.


Codrin Emandi – violin, studied at the National Music University of Bucharest and has acquired a vast experience playing with “Orchestra Internazionale d’Italia”, “Europa Symphony” Vienna, “Hiroshima Hope Orchestra”, National Taiwan Orchestra, the National Opera House in Timişoara, the “Banatul” Philharmonic in Timişoara,and working with the chamber orchestras “Camerata”, “Collegium Musicum”, “Bucureşti”, ”Collegium Stravagante”, “Vox Aurae”–Brescia “Romabarocca”-Roma. He is the founder of “La Follia” ensemble.

Diana Emandi – violin, studied at the “Ion Vidu” National High-school, and the Music Conservatory of the University of the West Timişoara. She attended specialisation courses in Szombathely, Hungary, with Csaba Peter. She was a member of the orchestra of the National Opera House of Timişoara, and is currently part of the “Banatul” Philharmonic of Timisoara and of the women’s string quartet “Carpe Diem”. She played with baroc ensembles: ”Romabarocca”-Rome, “Collegium stravagante”-Bucharest, “Vox Aurae”-Brescia”

Valentina Peetz – harpsichord, studied at the Music High School and University in She made her debut as a soloist at the age of 13 on the stage of the “Banatul” Philharmonic, an institution she collaborated with over the following years in both symphonic and chamber music concerts. She has won several prizes at various interpretation competitions and prestigious music festivals such as “Musical Timisoara” or the Belfort Festival, France. She was a member in the jury of the International Competition of Baroque Music that took place in Arad in 2000.

Adrian Ciuca- cello, is a graduate of the Cluj Napoca Academy of Music. He curently serves as principal cello of the Cluj Napoca Philharmonic. He joined La Follia in June of 2006.