The Rijeka Chamber Orchestra was established by a group of music enthusiasts in 1976. The core of the ensemble is made of string instruments that are joined by wind instruments when needed. All members of the Orchestra are formally trained musicians, many of whom also play in other chamber ensembles, teach or perform as soloists. Initially, the Orchestra's artistic and music director was Peter Škrjanec, who was succeeded by cellist David Stefanutti in 1991. Their repertoire contains works from all periods, ranging from baroque to contemporary authors, with an emphasis on contemporary Croatian composers. The Rijeka Chamber Orchestra has given a number of successful concerts in Croatia, Slovenia, and Italy, as well as in numerous festivals. They have worked with top soloists, including Josip Klima, Stanko Arnold, Anton Grčar, Valter Dešpalj, Roberto Haller, Dušan Prašelj, Tea Grubišić, Mauro Šestan, Ida Cavaliere, Fabrizio Maschio, Valentin Sklyarenko, Ingrid Jambriško, Kristina Kolar, Saša Britvić, Stjepan Hauser and others.