The Female Polyphonic Choir “Tonara”, founded in 1998, is composed of 22 elements and deals with sacred and profane polyphonic music, songs of the national and international tradition but takes particular care of the deepening of polyphony belonging to the regional and local folk heritage, setting as its objective the research and enhancement of the forms of folk singing tonarese, belonging to the religious ceremonial and the female world. In 2003 he recorded his first CD, “Amores e Turmentos”, with songs all in Sardinian language, some of which were set to music by the choir director, Giovanna Demurtas, in the words of the Tonarese poet Peppino Mereu. In 2012 she released the CD-DVD “Alidos de vida”, containing 10 unpublished songs taken from the repertoire of popular melodies tonaresi, the result of some years of research and study of the ancient forms of traditional songs linked to the female world that have been reworked by her in a collection of pieces for choir with equal female voices.

The choir has been a guest of numerous exhibitions held both inside and outside the island and abroad (Austria, Spain, Switzerland, Czech Republic, France, Slovenia, Hungary); for 2 years he also participated, in Rome, in the Marian Celebration in the Vatican. It is the promoter and organizer of various events, among which the “International Choral Review” which takes place in Tonara and which has reached its seventh edition in 2019. The exhibitions saw the presence of Spanish, Finnish, French, Slovenian and Dutch choirs.

The choir director Giovanna Demurtas is Graduated in Choral Music and Choral Conducting at the State Conservatory of Music “P. da Palestrina” of Cagliari, also in Opera Singing, Music Didactics, Master’s Degree in Choir Conducting and Ethnomusicology at the State Conservatory of Music “L. Canepa” of Sassari. He attended several courses in Italy and abroad in Conducting, Singing, Vocality, Teaching under the guidance of internationally renowned masters. As an ethnomusicologist she has carried out several research works and collection of repertoire of popular songs of central Sardinia. He deals with the composition, elaboration and transcription of choral pieces. He has published several didactic books for the study of solfeggio, books of analysis and research of traditional music, various recording works.

He holds courses in vocality, choral singing and teaching for teachers and choral formations. She is often called as a speaker in conferences of Ethnomusicology and Choir Conducting. He has participated as a member of the jury in several choral competitions in Sardinia. He teaches Music Theory and Reading Analysis and Auditory Training at the Civic School of Music “Antonietta Chironi” in Nuoro. He is professor of Theory, Rhythmic and Musical Perception of the State Conservatory of Music “P. from Palestrina” of Cagliari.

He has conducted several female choral formations and mixed choirs.He currently conducts, as well as the Femm Choir. “Tonara”, the Corale Leiese, Sos Calarighes and the male choir “Marghine gathered in the mixed formation “Cori Riuniti del Marghine”.