Alessandro Pianu

Born in Sardinia (Italy), Alessandro Pianu began his musical studies at the Conservatory of Sassari, where he graduated with distinction as a pianist in 1992. He studied harpsichord at the Conservatory of Venice with Maria Vittoria Guidi, graduating cum laude in 1998, and afterwards with Bob van Asperen at the Conservatory of Amsterdam, where he received his master's degree in 2003. Prize-winner at the International Harpsichord Competition in Budapest in 2000, he was awarded the first prize at the Ninth Harpsichord Competition of Bologna the following year.

Alessandro Pianu has played in major venues, festivals and opera houses, including the Opéra National de Paris, the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, the Dutch National Opera (Amsterdam), the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (Paris), the Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik, the Utrecht Early Music Festival and the Festival de Música Antiga de Barcelona, alongside the Balthasar-Neumann Ensemble, Academia Montis Regalis, Zefiro (Alfredo Bernardini), Claron McFadden, Thomas Hengelbrock, Alessandro De Marchi, Christophe Rousset, Barthold Kuijken and Jordi Savall.

Together with Erik Bosgraaf (recorder) and Izhar Elias (guitar), Pianu is a co-founder of Ensemble Cordevento, which performs in concert halls and festivals in Europe and Asia. They made their Hong Kong debut at the Arts Festival in 2014. Since 2006 Alessandro Pianu has been the répétiteur at the Early Music Department of the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.