About Musica Gloria

Musica Gloria is a young, vibrant, international, instrumental and vocal baroque ensemble which, led by Beniamino Paganini (traverso, baroque keyboards, maestro al cembalo and musicology) and Nele Vertommen (baroque oboe, recorder and artistic research), is committed to touching audiences and bringing excellence. Depending on the programme and the project, Musica Gloria performs with 2 to about 40 of its members, all top international musicians who fit within the ensemble’s musical style, sound and vision. From a strong group feeling, these passionate musicians enthusiastically bring early music to listeners in an affectionate, lively, colourful and historically informed way, on (copies of) historical instruments. Musica Gloria’s core repertoire ranges from early to late Baroque and from the best known to unjustly unknown works. Bringing engaging, balanced and well-founded programmes is essential for the ensemble. Musica Gloria consciously opts for a sustainable approach based on respect and responsibility for the music, the musicians, everyone involved and the environment.

Musica Gloria attracts an enthusiastic audience and plays more than 30 concerts a year, including regularly in front of full houses at national and international venues such as AMUZ (BE), BachFest Leipzig (DE), Bozar (BE), 30CC (BE), Concertgebouw Brugge (BE), De Bijloke (BE), Georgean Concert Society (UK), Internationale Telemann-Gesellschaft Magdeburg (DE), Itinéraire Baroque (FR), Klara (BE), Kölner Philharmonie (DE), Les Festivals de Wallonie (BE), Lunalia (BE), MA Festival (BE), Mubafa (BE), Musica Antica (NL), shfestival (CZ) en Trigonale Festival (AT). In 2024, Musica Gloria performed the opening concerts of the festivals Lunalia and Les Nuits de Septembere. In the last years, in addition to performing these concerts, the ensemble has released many video recordings on it successful YouTube channel and 6 CDs: Georg Österreich’s resurrected treasures (2025), Corelli & Handel: Encounters in Rome (2023), The Bachs & The Flute (2022), Fasch’s Oboe and two CDs with a selection of our YouTube publications (2021 & 2023).These recordings have been listened to worldwide and received positively by numerous listeners, radio stations, TV stations and reviewers (including 5 Diapasons, Supersonic pizzicato, 10/10 in Luister and Klassik heute, Disque du jour at Radio France). In addition, concerts by Musica Gloria are regularly broadcast live on radio and they have collaborated with the Czech television.

Musica Gloria warmly thanks all of their enthusiastic volunteers, (sustainable) sponsors, crowdfunders and fans, as well as the Flemish government, the city of Leuven, and the Belgian Tax Shelter.

How in began…

Musica Gloria was founded in Bruges in 2006 by then 12-year-old Beniamino. The ensemble and choir consisted of about 20 enthusiastic children and young people. They conquered the hearts of young and old with atmospheric baroque Christmas concerts. After being selected for the fringe concerts of the MA Festival in Bruges and the Early Music Festival in Utrecht in 2014, it further evolved into a professional ensemble with a solid foundation thanks to several projects with diverse line-ups. Since 2020 Beniamino Paganini and Nele Vertommen have led the ensemble together and, among other things the publication of several recordings – both self-published and with Klara and AMUZ – provided a boost.