Sìdar Ensemble

The Sìdar Ensemble, founded in 2023 by Elena Mascii and Lisa Soardi as a voice and Renaissance lute duo, develops its musical training under the guidance of Gabriele Lombardi and Michele Pasotti at the Conservatorio “Maderna-Lettimi” in Cesena, with a repertoire spanning from the Renaissance to the early Baroque.

The name Sìdar, meaning “star” in the Romagnolo dialect, reflects the ensemble’s deep connection with the region where the two musicians first met. In 2024, the ensemble focused on the rediscovery of Renaissance music from Brescia with the project Occhi Lucenti e Belli, presented in Iseo at Castello Oldofredi, in Lovere at the Accademia d’Arte Tadini as part of the Onde Musicali Festival, for the opening of the series Un’estate di sere incantate, and at the I volti del RomaninoFestival curated by the Cieli Vibranti association in Brescia. In 2025, the ensemble collaborated with Mezzo Forte for the creation of sound content for the Diocesan Museum of Brescia and took part in the Brescia in movimento Festival.

The ensemble expanded its formation with Gabriele Cervia on baroque violin, Francesca Lorenzetti on viola da gamba, Giacomo Vignali on harpsichord, and soprano Margherita Pieri. It was selected for the Monteverdi Academy within the Monteverdi Festival in Cremona, where it performed the program Il Nuovo Orfeo. The same program was later presented at the 11th edition of the Festival Alla Battaglia di Anghiari and the 9th edition of the FloReMus Festival.

Sìdar collaborates with the Homme Armé Consort (FloReMus Festival, 2025) and with Romagna-based ensembles such as I Musici Malatestiani (Grandezze e Meraviglie Festival, 2023–2025) and the Accademia Malatestiana in various joint projects. The ensemble, in its different formations, has participated in masterclasses led by Massimo Lonardi (2024, 2026), Claron McFadden (2024), and Monica Pustilnik (2025).