Coro Città di Roma was founded in 1979 in the southern outskirts of Rome. It is a self- organized and no-profit musical association that firmly believes in the key role of the associationism for social cohesion and civic commitment. For more than forty years, and through its own resources only, the association has been enthusiastically promoting its own socio-cultural project of dissemination of polyphonic music, with an intense series of concert in Italy and abroad, and through the organization of masterclasses and workshops.

Our organization currently includes about 40 members, aged between 22 and 65, bonded together by the common love for polyphonic music. Our Choir is indeed an amateur choir in the purest sense of the expression: the word ‘amateur’ originated as a French word, meaning ‘lover of’, and, in fact,  all choir members do love music, promote and nurture its study, development and dissemination with the greatest passion, commitment and delight.

In 2019 we celebrated our 40^th anniversary – indeed an uncommon and important accomplishment for an independent musical organization – with a series of events that celebrated the continuity of our commitment, growth and establishment to such a significant level in both national and international context.

The Choir has been conducted in the past by Piero Caraba (since its foundation in 1979 to 1981) and by Andrea Lunghi (from 1981 to 1991).  Mauro Marchetti has been the Resident Conductor of the Choir and the Artistic Director of the organization. Under his guidance, the Choir has extended the range of its repertoire to contemporary music, commissioning the composition of a number of pieces to a series of musicians in Italy and abroad.

Coro Città di Roma has a relevant role as a promoter and performer of a huge number of  musical events and shows in Rome. Among them:

• the opening concert of the Jubileee in 2000 in the Aula Nervi, together with the European Youth Orchestra, conducted by Maurice Jarre;
• the concert with the Orchestra Roma Sinfonietta, directed by Marco Balderi, for the Verdi celebrations in 2001;
• the concert in Campidoglio for the first Roman White Night with Maestro and Academy Winner Ennio Morricone in 2004;
• the Christmas Concert with Monserrat Caballè for the Comune di Roma in 2008, broadcasted worldwide;
• the performance at the Casa dell’Architettura for the “Night of the Museums” in 2014.
• the Holy Mass for the Italian Athletes (CONI) in the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican in 2015 and 2016;
• the play “William’s Stars” directed by Marco Carniti at the Globe Theatre in 2019.

in addition to them, countless concerts in the churches and the most prestigious concert halls of Rome, from the Oratory of Gonfalone (2007, 2012) to the Auditorium Parco della Musica (2016).

The Choir had an important collaboration for many years with Maestro and Academy Winner Ennio Morricone, and participated to the recording of various CDs (e.g. Focus with Dulce Pontes and the DVD Arena Concerto), soundtracks (e.g. Il Papa buono, Karol, Musashi, I guardiani delle nuvole) and to a number of concerts and tours in Italy and Europe. Another important collaboration was that with the celebrated American composer Eric Whitacre, winner of the Grammy Awards, in Italy for the first time in 2011 under the invitation of the Choir for a masterclass and two successful concerts.

In more than forty years of activity, Coro Città di Roma has achieved a great recognition and reputation and has been invited to a huge number of important musical events in Italy. Among them: the closing concert of the 36^th Cantiere Internazionale d’Arte di Montepulciano, where the Choir sang Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 (2011); the 18^th Rassegna Polifonica Aprutina in Teramo (2011); the 38^th Incontro Internazionale Polifonico Città di Fano (2011); the International Music Festival Mi.To Settembre Musica for two concerts in Milan and Turin (2016); the Musart Festival in Florence, where it performed in the Carmina Burana together with the Orchestra Regionale Toscana, conducted by Daniele Rustioni (2017) and the Narnia Festival, for a series of concerts in Narni ed Orvieto, and the Holy Mass from Narni’s Cathedral, broadcasted by Rai1.

The Choir also performed in a countless number of concerts, festivals, television and radio programs in Europe (Hungary, Spain, Wales, France, Belgium, Slovenia). Between them, a mentions should be made of the performances of 2008 at the Slovenian Philarmonic of Ljubliana (Coro Città di Roma was the first Italian choir to perform in the famous concert hall) and the 23^th Encuentro Coral Torrevieja in Spain in 2009. In 2013, the Choir was invited to the famous festival “Night of the Choirs” at Villier de la Ville (Belgjum), where it performed at the closing concert with an audience of about 15.000 people.

Coro Città di Roma has also participated in many national and international choral competitions, achieving prestigious results, and therefore becoming one of the most decorated Italian choirs.

Choral competitions

 1997 – 14^th National Choral Competition Guido d’Arezzo

• First prize;

2000 – 3^rd Regional Competition Rieti

• First prize in the following categories: Renaissance Music, Romantic Music, Modern Music;

• Special prize Pro Musica Studium;
• Gran Prix City of Rieti;

2000 – 17^th National Choral Competition Guido d’Arezzo

• FENIARCO prize for the performance of “Laudamus te” by S.D. Sandström;

2002 – 41^th Internationl Choral Competition Seghizzi (Gorizia)

• FENIARCO prize for the best Italian choir;
• Nuova Musica prize for the performance of “Ave Verum Corpus” and “Pan e Eco” by L. Donati;

2004 – 7^th  International Competition Maribor (Slovenia)

• Third prize;

2004 – 21^th National Choral Competition Guido d’Arezzo

• First prize;
• FENIARCO prize for the performance of “Claviante Brilioso” by T. Jennefelt;

2004 – 52^nd International Choral Competition Guido d’Arezzo

• First prize, cat. Renaissance Music;

2005 – 1^st National Choral Competition Gastone Tosato (Anguillara)

• First prize;
• Special prize for the performance of Renaissance music;

2009 – 26^th National Choral Competition Guido d’Arezzo

• First prize;

2009 – 57^th International Choral Competition Guido d’Arezzo

• Second prize, cat. Mixed Choirs;
• Second prize, cat. Ensembles (first prize not assigned);
• Prize for the Best Conductor to Mauro Marchetti;

2010 – 32^nd International Competition, Varna (Bulgaria)

• First prize, cat. Mixed Choirs;
• First prize, cat. Ensembles;
• Prize for the best performance of the Compulsory Program;
• Prize for the Best Conductor to Mauro Marchetti;
• Gran Prix City of Varna;

2011 – 23^rd European Gran Prix for Choral Singing, Tolosa (Spain)

• Finalist & second place ex aequo.

2016 -3^rd  International Choral Competition Antonio Guanti, Matera

• First prize ex aequo;

2017 – 39^rd International Choral Competition, Varna (Bulgaria)

• Third prize, cat. Mixed Choirs;
• Second prize, cat. Ensembles;

2018 – 35^th National Choral Competition Guido d’Arezzo

• Second prize, cat. Mixed Choirs;
• Secondo prize, cat. Equal Voices.

Discography

• Benjamin Britten – The Salley Gardens (1996);
• Corali a Roma (1996);
• Corali a Roma (1998);
• Ventesimo (1999);
• Ennio Morricone – Arena concerto (2002);
• Ennio Morricone, Dulce Pontes – Focus (2003);
• Concorso Maasmechelen (2005);
• Ennio Morricone – Concerto per AIRC (2006);
• Novecænto (2006);
• Dalvivo (2009);
• dediCantum (2015);
• Missa Salvatoris Mundi di Camillo Cortellini per Tactus (2016)
• InCantus (2018)

Soundtracks

• Il Papa buono (2003);
• Karol (2005);
• Musashi (2006);
• I guardiani delle nuvole (2008);
• Ti ho cercato in tutti i necrologi (2012).