With over 100 recordings, Diego Cantalupi studied classical guitar with Mauro Storti. His interest in Renaissance, Baroque and pre-Romantic music led him to study the techniques of performing early music, taking lute courses at the Department of Ancient Music at the “Civica Scuola di Musica” in Milan (Paul Beier) and at the Conservatory of Parma (Andrea Damiani).
In 1996 he received a diploma with distinction in Musicology from the “Scuola di Paleografia e Filologia Musicale” in Cremona – University of Pavia. He frequently performs as a soloist and with various leading period instrument ensembles from around the world, such as “La Venexiana”, “L’Arte dell’arco”, “La Verdi Barocca”, “L’onda armonica”, “Accademia degli Astrusi”, “Il Capriccio”. Being equally familiar with modern instruments, Diego Cantalupi has collaborated with many leading orchestras, including “Solisti Filarmonici Italiani”, “I Solisti Veneti”, “Kammerakademie Potsdam”, “I Pomeriggi Musicali”, “Streicherakademie Bozen” or “Camerata Berna”.
He is the founder and director of the Ensemble “L’Aura Soave”, whose repertoire and instrumental composition are based exclusively on his research.
His instrumental repertoire spans many centuries and his discography ranges from some of the oldest works for lute to contemporary works for theorbo and lute written for him in recent years.
A teacher with extensive experience, Diego Cantalupi teaches lute at the “Conservatorio di Bari” and at many schools and summer courses; he is frequently invited as a specialist examiner, both by universities and music conservatories. He is currently preparing the first modern method for theorbo.
