Born in Milan in 1968, Diego Cantalupi graduated in guitar under the guidance of Mauro Storti at the Conservatorio Arrigo Boito in Parma, and in Musical Philology at the Scuola di Paleografia e Filologia Musicale in Cremona (University of Pavia). Parallel interests in renaissance, baroque and pre-romantic music led him to study early performance techniques, attending lute master classes at the Early Music Department of the Civica Scuola di Musica in Milano and at the Conservatorio Arrigo Boito in Parma (Andrea Damiani). Since 1995 he has been appearing with the leading ensembles on period instruments, such as Les Talens Lyriques, Capella Savaria, Accademia Bizantina, Risonanze, Athestis Chorus, Compagnia dei Musici, Solisti Veneti, Orchestra Barocca di Bologna, Anton Webern Chor, Camerata Vocale Freiburg, Kammeakademie Potsdam. The result of his musicological researches is a PhD. dissertation about the history of the theorbo and the basso continuo. He is also author of articles and papers about the lute performance. Diego’s solo repertory ranges from the 16th to the 21st century music, on lutes and ancient guitars of all shapes and sizes. He recorded over 80 CDs, including the complete Corelli’s Trio Sonatas, Cavalli’s Vespers, Frescobaldi’s Motets, the Trio Sonatas and the Cello Sonatas by Caldara, Merula’s “Curtio Precipitato”, and Salomone Rossi’s Madrigaletti for Tactus, the complete Cantatas by Vivaldi with Cecilia Gasdia for Mondo Musica, Albinoni’s “Trattenimenti armonici” for Florentia Musicae, as well as Marcello’s Requiem and his “Arianna” for Chandos. Founder and artistic director of the ensemble L’Aura Soave, his interest focuses on the rediscovery of the unpublished Italian music: from the renaissance to the early 20th century. Besides his work as director and continuo player, he performs as soloist, like in the recording of the “Capricci a tiorba sola” by Bellerofonte Castaldi, of theorbo music by Girolamo Kapsberger and in a CD with lute music inspired by the paintings of Caravaggio. Diego Cantalupi theaches lute, theorbo and historical guitar at the Conservatorio in Bari.