The Divertimento Ensemble was founded in 1977 by a number of internationally-renowned soloists, and by some of the principals of the two most important orchestras of Milan, under the direction of Sandro Gorli. The Ensemble quickly attained considerable success both in Italy and abroad, with over 1000 concerts and 10 CDs to its credit to date. In 1978, in its second year of activity, it was included in the prestigious programmes of Milan's Società del Quartetto and the same city's Festival, “Musica nel Nostro Tempo. Over seventy composers have dedicated new compositions to the Ensemble: these, and many others, have helped consolidate one of the most representative repertoires of new music, both Italian and international. The Divertimento Ensemble has held concerts in France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Yugoslavia, Poland, Mexico, Argentina, United States, Japan and Russia, as well as the most important cities of Italy. In 1981 it made its debut at Teatro alla Scala, Milan, with the opera "Il Sosia" by Flavio Testi and a concert dedicated entirely to music by Aldo Clementi. It featured in the Teatro alla Scala programme again, in 1996, 1997 and 1998, with a concert dedicated to Frank Zappa. The Ensemble has taken part in the most important contemporary music festivals in Europe. It was invited by the Venice Biennale in 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1995, 2000, 2002, 2005 and 2007. Its recordings include: the opera "Solo" by Sandro Gorli (CD by Ricordi), three CDs dedicated to Bruno Maderna: "Satyricon" (Salabert-Harmonia Mundi), "Don Perlimplin" (Stradivarius), Venetian Journal, Juilliard Serenade, Vier Briefe, Konzert for Oboe und Kammerensemble (Stradivarius), an anthology of music by young Italian composers (Fonit Cetra) and five CDs featuring the work of Giulio Castagnoli, Alessandro Solbiati, Franco Donatoni, Matteo Franceschini and Stefano Gervasoni respectively (Stradivarius). A CD dedicated to Federico Gardella is currently being prepared. For a number of years, as well as its concert performances, the Ensemble has been strongly committed to areas of musical education, taking an active part in the Orchestra Conducting Courses dedicated specifically to music of 20th and 21st centuries and in the "Franco Donatoni" International Meeting for Young Composers. In 2010 Divertimento Ensemble was awarded the mention to the grandesignEtico International Award for its activity in favour of young musicians. In 2011 the ensemble has created the Call for young performers, which offers masterclasses in contemporary music. Divertimento Ensemble is a member of the Ulysses network, which brings together 14 renowned institutions involved in the support and promotion of young artists. These institutions - concert halls, academies, summer schools, support programs connected with ensembles or festivals - play a fundamental role in the recognizing, accompanying, professionalizing, and development of the carriers of young European composers and performers.