The ensemble "Die Freitagsakademie" was founded in Bern 1993. The name originates from one of the first establishments of middle-class music life in the Berlin of the 18th century: the FREITAGSAKADEMIEN, founded by Johann Gottlieb Janitsch in 1738. The Berlin society met regularly to make music together in a semi-public or private setting. The Freitagsakademien enjoyed an outstanding reputation and attracted musicians of the most varied origins.