In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Grimani family of the Santa Maria Formosa branch owned the major opera theaters: the San Giovanni e Paolo, the San Giovanni Grisostomo, the San Samuele, and the San Benedetto.
They were in contact with all the major musicians working in the field (from Monteverdi and Cavalli to Handel, Vivaldi, Porpora, Hasse, and Galuppi); they did not disdain managing the theaters directly, acting as true impresarios.
At the end of the 17th century, Vincenzo Grimani, Cardinal and Viceroy of Naples, wrote excellent librettos, including that of Handel’s Agrippina, which was performed at the San Giovanni Grisostomo.
The palace was home to a literary academy, the Accademia degli Animosi, which frequently organized serenades, concerts, and musical performances. It later became the seat of the Venetian branch of the Arcadia, whose members included Alessandro and Benedetto Marcello.
Since 2015, the Venice School of Ancient Music, in accordance with an agreement with the General Directorate of the National Archaeological Museums of Venice and the Lagoon, has been organizing concerts with a particular focus on music composed for the Grimani family.