The declared purpose of the Competition from the very beginning was to promote historically informed performance, organizing a competition for baroque chamber music ensembles, which is unique in Eastern Europe. The judging process emphasizes adherence to the authentic performance practices of the Baroque period. Each edition of the festival has also offered the general public high-quality baroque music concerts featuring both national and international artists, as well as masterclasses for students. Over the years, there have also been lyrical workshops and musicology symposia.
In addition to local competitors, usually from Cluj and Bucharest, chamber ensembles from Hungary have consistently participated in the competition. There have also been participants from Austria, Germany, Italy, China, and Switzerland. Many of the international laureates have gone on to perform with ensembles in prestigious venues such as the Musikverein in Vienna or the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam (e.g., Ivan Iliev, Dóra Király, Federica Bianchi), and Sheng-Fang Chiu (First Prize in 2011) is now a lecturer in Leipzig.
As a testament to the stimulating effect that the La Stravaganza Competition and Festival had from its very first edition, the Transylvania Galante Baroque Orchestra was founded in 2017, composed of laureates from previous editions of the competition, led by student Arany Kővári. Several early music ensembles that were formed specifically for the competition, such as Fonte di Gioia, Quarto d’oro, and Trionfale, have since won awards and remained active on stages across the country.