The founding original quintet were Celso Woltzenlogel, Paolo Nardi, Wilfried Berk, Carlos Gomes de Oliveira, and Airton Lima Barbosa.
The Quinteto Villa-Lobos has celebrated over 50 years of performances and recordings, replenishing its membership with instrumentalists that are active as soloists in Brazil and internationally, featuring flute, oboe, clarinet, horn and bassoon.
In March 2002, the quintet celebrated its 40th anniversary with a series of concerts entitled "Quinteto Villa-Lobos – 40 years of Brazilian Music", in the Centro Cultural Banco do Brasil, Rio de Janeiro.
In 2006, it was one of the winners of the project "Concert Music Circulation", provided by CEMUS-Funarte and in the same year the quintet played in the "Culture Cup" in Berlin, Germany.
In 2012, the ensemble celebrated its 50th anniversary by releasing a DVD and Blu-ray of a concert series recorded at venues in Rio de Janeiro.