About
Photo: Merlin Doomerik 2015
Andrea Friggi was born in Milan in 1979 where he obtained his first doctorate in 2003 in philology (Greek Palaeography) from the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore under the guide of Carlo Maria Mazzucchi. He also obtained a PhD in Byzantine Philology from the University of Turin in 2007 under the guidance of Enrico V. Maltese. He is active as a scholar and has published a number of articles.
He has studied organ, harpsichord, and continuo. His teachers include Edoardo Bellotti and Stefano Demicheli. He has also attended master classes with René Clemencic and Luigi F. Tagliavini. In 2007 he moved to The Netherlands to study with Menno van Delft at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam where he graduated in 2011. Following his BA graduation he continued his studies in Amsterdam with Bob van Asperen and Richard Egarr and obtained a Master's degree in Basso Continuo specialisation in 2013 with Thérèse de Goede.
He has performed as soloist, conductor, and continuo player in some of Europe's most important venues with various ensembles, including Ensemble Odyssee, Stile Galante, Nederlandse Bachvereniging, Concerto Köln and many others. He has recorded several CDs for Fuga Libera, Pan Classics, and Glossa. He has worked with world-famous singers such as Ann Hallenberg, Max Emanuel Cencic, Bejun Mehta and as assistant to renowned conductors such as Riccardo Minasi in several opera productions.
In 2010 he founded his own group, Ensemble Odyssee, together with recorder player Anna Stegmann with whom he performs regularly. With his ensemble he won the third prize in the Van Wassenar competition in 2011. In the same year he was awarded the prestigious Huygens Scholarship from the Dutch government.
Since October 2010 he teaches musical philology at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.