1982 was not just the year in which the historic organs of S. Petronio (Lorenzo da Prato 1471 and Baldassarre Malamini 1696) were reinaugurated after their restoration; it also marked the revival of the musical chapel, the famous institution (originally founded by Eugenius IV's papal bull of 1436) that played such an important role in forming the concertante style of the mid and late 17th century. Every year since 1982 Sergio Vartolo, appointed maestro di cappella, has assembled an impressive array of musicians to celebrate the feast of S.Petronio (the patron saint of Bologna).
Among the occasions of particular note we single out the following: the concerts marking Andrea Gabrieli's centenary year (1985) and featuring the Tölzerknaben choir and an international ensemble of cornetti and trombones; a concert dedicated exclusively to Giovanni Paolo Colonna's large-scale compositions(1987); Bach's Missa and Magnificat permormed alongside Giacomo Antonio Perti's 8-part Mass, with the participation of the New College Choir of Oxford ; and above all, the concerts celebrating the 600th anniversary of the foundation of the Basilica (1990), juxtaposing works of the Baroque period with contemporary music (on texts from the liturgy of San Petronio) specially commissioned from Arvo Pært, Fabio Vacchi, Daan Manneke and Jean-Paul Lécot.
Recent achievements of the Cappella di S. Petronio include a recording of the "Complete Works for 1, 2 and 4 Trumpets and Orchestra" by Giuseppe Torelli (Bongiovanni; GB 5523/34/25-2; 3 CDs) preserved in the Basilica archives (which also provided the music for the other concerts). The San Petronio orchestra has included outstanding performers of early music, such as Edward Tarr, David Staff, Thomas Müller, Fabio Biondi, Lucy van Dael, Bruce Dickey and among the vocal soloists the late Henry Ledroit. The vocal ensemble singing under Sergio Vartolo's direction include the Tölzerknaben Chor, the Prague Philarmonic and the New College Choir. All the music available in the enclosed discography can be performed in concerts.