This vocal group consists of a group of solo singers who make the practice of ancient music one of the most relevant lines of work in their professional career, both in Portugal and abroad. The central objectives of the work of this group are the exploration and diffusion of the sacred and profane repertoires of vocal music that we can find in Portugal from the sixteenth century until the beginning of the nineteenth century, covering pieces by Portuguese and foreign composers who developed their professional activity in the our country in this period. In the different programs that the group prepares, the pieces that result from the study and transcription work carried out by the musical director are integrated. Founded in 2005 by João Paulo Janeiro, Capela Joanina emerges from the ancient music group Flores de Música, which, as of November of the same year, started to consist exclusively of instrumentalists.
His first formal presentation took place at the commemoration of the passage of two hundred and fifty years on the date of the earthquake of 1755, at the Centro Cultural de Belém, where he performed the play Matuttino de morti by David Perez. Subsequently, he performed at the CCB, on the occasion of the 'Festa da Música' and 'Dias da Música de Belém', in partnership with the Flores de Música group, where he presented several religious music programs, namely the Te Deum by Francisco António de Almeida for soloists, choir and orchestra; a program with works by Carlos Seixas, and another dedicated to music in Portuguese convents from the Baroque period.
He also held a cycle of concerts for Artemrede, Paths of the Sacred and Profane in Vocal Music of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, having performed at the Alcobaça and Sintra Music Festivals, and also at the Capuchos Convent, in Almada , and in Montijo. He performed in the São Roque Season, where he presented Portuguese religious music from the 17th and 18th centuries.