Switzerland's La Cetra is a large, flexible Baroque orchestra capable of handling a wide variety of repertory. The group records for the Deutsche Grammophon label.

La Cetra was formed in 1999 in Basel, Switzerland, at the suggestion of Peter Reidemeister. At the time, Reidemeister was the director of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, one of the leading European institutions involved in training musicians in historically oriented performance. The name La Cetra ("The Lyre") came from the title of Antonio Vivaldi's Op. 9 set of violin concertos, and Italian Baroque music of the 18th century has remained at the center of the group's repertory. The group quickly began to appear at venues beyond Switzerland, and it rose into the top ranks of European Baroque ensembles. In 2004, La Cetra released its debut album, G.A. Brescianello: Concerti; Sinfonie; Ouverture.

La Cetra's repertory, and its reputation, began to expand still further in 2009 when harpsichordist and organist Andrea Marcon was named its conductor. The group began to perform music from the early Baroque to the 19th century, and in 2012, under Marcon, it added a La Cetra Vocal Ensemble with Carlos Sepúlveda as conductor. The ensemble's membership is large, numbering more than 80, but it often breaks up as needed into smaller groups in order to handle a variety of repertory. Tours have taken La Cetra to such major venues as the Konzerthaus in Vienna, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. It has appeared at festivals, including the Dresden Music Festival, the Enescu Festival in Bucharest, and the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music.

La Cetra has backed such internationally renowned singers as Maria Espada, Franco Fagioli, Roberta Invernizzi, and Magdalena Kožená, with whom it toured Germany, Luxembourg, England, and Spain. After recording for Harmonia Mundi, Zig Zag Territoires, and Claves, La Cetra was signed to the Deutsche Grammophon label and released the album Mozart: Overtures in 2011. The group has also continued to record for Harmonia Mundi, releasing Mr Handel's Dinner: Music for Opera Intermissions there in 2019. In 2022, it moved to Glossa for an album of violin concertos by Jean-Marie Leclair with Leila Schayegh and backed male soprano Samuel Mariño on the album Sopranista on the Decca label. La Cetra returned to Deutsche Grammophon later that year for the album Claudio Monteverdi: Vespro di Natale. ~ James Manheim, Rovi