Harpsichordist and conductor Marcello Di Lisa is the founder of Concerto de' Cavalieri. Under his direction, the ensemble has quickly become one of Italy's leading period-instrument orchestras. He completed a PhD in philology and Greek and Latin literature at the University of Pisa and collaborated with major journals in the field of ancient philosophy, simultaneously studying piano, harpsichord and composition.
Marcello Di Lisa has performed in concert halls and international festivals such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Musikverein in Vienna, Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the Philharmonie in Essen, the Philharmonie in Cologne, the Herkulessaal in Munich, the De Bijloke, the De Singel, the Arsenal in Metz, the Cultural Centre Belém in Lisbon, the Sala Verdi in Milan and at the festivals of Rheingau Musik, Musikfest Bremen, Tage alter Musik Regensburg, in Pollença, Musika-Música in Bilbao, d'Ambronay, Festival de Radio France among others, collaborating with renowned soloists such as Daniela Barcelona, Valer Barna-Sabadus, Vivica Genaux, Ann Hallenberg, Kristina Hammarström, Sara Mingardo, Anna Prohaska, Fatma Said, Andreas Scholl, Maurice Steger.
Specialising in Alessandro Scarlatti, he is passionately dedicated to the rediscovery of forgotten works from the Italian Baroque and has premiered several operas and serenatas, including Scarlatti's Erminia, Porpora's La Jole and Vivaldi's Tito Manlio, all of which were recorded and broadcast live by major international networks.
Marcello Di Lisa has also planned and carried out numerous recordings for Sony and CPO, which critics have warmly received. Specifically, with Sony Classical, he has begun work on The Baroque Project, a multi-year project on Italian opera in the 18th century that also features many world-premiere recordings. The project has released five volumes and received several Classical Music Awards nominations.
In musicological research, he studies late 17th—and 18th-century Roman musical heritage, with particular attention to Alessandro Scarlatti's unpublished works.