Abchordis Ensemble Andrea Buccarella

Andrea Buccarella

Harpsichordist, organist and conductor

Andrea Buccarella was born in Rome in 1987 and undertakes his first musical studies as Puer Cantor in the prestigious choir of the Sistine Chapel (1997 - 2000). After obtaining the diploma in organ and organ composition at the Conservatorio di Santa Cecilia in Rome (2008), he graduates cum laude in harpsichord and historical keyboards under Enrico Baiano (2016). In June 2018 he obtained, with full marks, his master's degree in harpsichord at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis under the guidance of Andrea Marcon.

In August 2018 he has been awarded the First Prize at the International Competition Musica Antiqua 2018, where he also won the Outhere Award, first Italian to have achieved these prizes in the history of the Bruges competition.

An intense concert activity, both as soloist and as member of orchestras and chamber ensembles, brought him to perform in important festivals in Europe, the USA, Korea and Japan. He took part in several recordings with Concerto Romano, Abchordis Ensemble, La Cetra, Il Pomo d’Oro, Musica Antique Latina and Ensemble Mare Nostrum.

In 2012 he became the artistic director and conductor of Abchordis Ensemble. Since then, Andrea dedicated himself to a conscientious activity of research, aiming for the discovery of musical masterpieces of the past which are not performed in modern times, with special focus on the sacred repertoire of 18th-century Italy. He has conducted the Abchordis Ensemble in many important festivals, among others Festival d'Ambronay (France), Internationale Händel-Festspiele (Göttingen, Germany), Festival classique des Haudères (Switzerland), Mars en Baroque (Marseille, France), Les Riches Heures de Valère (Sion, Switzerland), Valletta International Baroque Festival (Malta), Purtimiro Festival, Pavia Barocca, Urbino Musica Antica, Festival Anima Mea and Festival Alessandro Stradella (Italy).

Under his guidance the Abchordis Ensemble won the Public Prize at the showcase organized in 2013 by the REMA (Réséau Européen de la Musique Ancienne), and the first prize at the International Händel Competition 2015 in Göttingen (Germany). As harpsichordist and conductor of Abchordis Ensemble, he has released two recordings entirely dedicated to the sacred music of Neapolitan Baroque, for the label SONY Deutsche Harmonia Mundi: Stabat Mater (January 2016) and Dies Irae (May 2018). These include unpublished works by Gennaro Manna, Aniello Santangelo and Giacomo Sellitto in their world’s first recording.

In September 2019 he has released his first solo album: Toccata, which is devoted to the development of the genre from Claudio Merulo to Johann Sebastian Bach. This recording was published by the renowned label Ricercar (Outhere Music).

Abchordis Ensemble

was founded in 2011 with the desire to shine a light on masterpieces of Italian Baroque, that until now were unpublished and unedited in modern times. To this end, the ensemble has undertaken a careful and scrupulous musical research activity, devoted mainly to rediscovering sacred Italian music of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

In 2012, with their first project, Virgo Singularis, the ensemble received two artistic residencies at the Cultural Center in Ambronay (France) and the Collegio Ghislieri in Pavia (Italy). Both residencies were renewed in 2015 in the context of the EEEmerging emerging young European ensemble program. In 2013, the ensemble was invited to participate in the REMA Showcase (Réseau Européen de Musique Ancienne) in Marseille, where they were awarded the public prize, and in 2015 they won first prize at the Händel International Competition in Göttingen.

Abchordis Ensemble has performed at important festivals and exhibitions, including: Ambronay Festival (France), Internationale Händel-Festspiele (Göttingen, Germany), SWR & Villa Musica (Kurfürstliche Palais in Trier, Germany), Festival classique des Haudères (Switzerland), Festival Les Goûts Réunis (Lausanne, Switzerland), Les Riches Heures de Valère (Sion, Switzerland), Mars en Baroque (Marseille, France), Valletta International Baroque Festival (Malta), Pavia Baroque (Italy), Urbino Ancient Music (Italy), Anima Mea Festival (Puglia, Italy), Alessandro Stradella Festival (Nepi, Italy), Purtimiro Festival (Lugo, Italy), Associazione A. Scarlatti (Naples, Italy).

In 2016, Abchordis Ensemble released their first album Stabat Mater entirely dedicated to the sacred music of Neapolitan Baroque, including unpublished works by Gennaro Manna, Aniello Santangelo and Giacomo Sellitto in their world’s first recording. In May 2018 their new album Dies Irae came out presenting presenting another world premiere recording of sacred and instrumental music of Neapolitan Baroque. Both recordings are released by SONY Deutsche Harmonia Mundi to international critical acclaim.