Sinfonia da Camera, a chamber orchestra composed of musicians from throughout the Midwest, was founded in 1984 by Music Director, Ian Hobson. In its debut season, Sinfonia released a highly acclaimed recording of French Piano Concerti with Hobson conducting from the piano keyboard, and was the subject of a ninety-minute Public Television special.

Since this time Sinfonia has performed over 500 musical works featuring local soloists and nearly 75 guest artists. Through Maestro Hobson’s commitment to excellence in all of the orchestra’s endeavors – special projects, recording, tours and concert for the hometown crowd at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts – Sinfonia has achieved national and international recognition.

Ten recordings by Sinfonia da Camera for the Zephyr label have been released to rave reviews both at home and abroad. The most recently released recordings, by a little known composer of the early nineteenth century, Moscheles Piano Concerto, Vol. I, II and III, were reviewed by American Record Guide: “Hobson, whose elegant phrasing, remarkable ear for color, and miraculous ability to evenly sustain the most difficult runs—each like a string of pearls—are simply a joy to hear” and “[The concerti] seem tailor-made for Hobson’s great panache and free-wheeling style…I hope we won’t have to wait long for him to complete the cycle.” In 2003 the orchestra also saw the publication of Classical Music for Dummies, edition II, which includes a recording with Sinfonia da Camera.

Following a successful 23rd season concluding with a concert series in Beijing and Shanghai, China, Sinfonia da Camera returns to CU to celebrate the universal language of music in the 2007-08 season! This season features artists and music from around the world with such concerts as Tales of The Yellow River with Maestro Xu Zhong and Fiesta and Fandangos with composer Roberto Sierra and saxophonist James Carter. The extraordinary talents of local artists John Dee, Sherban Lupu, Stefan Milenkovich, Fred Stoltzfus and the University of Illinois Chamber Singers perform music from Vivaldi to Copland, while Ian Hobson displays his versatility as conductor, pianist and orchestrator.

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Sinfonia da Camera appears under the auspices of the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts and the College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.