Prof. Federico Bardazzi

Italy

Federico Bardazzi studied the cello in Siena and Paris. He continued his studies on chamber music, composition, Gregorian chant as well as basso continuo, viola da gamba and choir conducting, orchestral direction. Bardazzi, with the Ensemble San Felice, the vocal and instrumental group whose repertoire is mainly medieval to contemporary sacred music, has concentrated particularly on music by Bach, conducting the B minor Mass, the Six German Motets, the Johannes Passion, the Brandenburg Concertos and numerous Cantatas. He also devotes himself to 17th century music, and has presented rarely performed music by Marco da Gagliano, Frescobaldi, Carissimi, Buxtehude, Jeronimo de Carrion and François Couperin in numerous festivals in Italy and abroad. Amongst the most successful performances by Bardazzi is a personal version of the “Magnificat”, sponsored by the European Union. „El cant de la Sibilla“, a program of medieval Catalan music presented at the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, „Nigra sum sed formosa“, cantigas de Santa Maria and “Quem queritis“ the medieval liturgical drama based on Florentine codices were equally successful. In September 2005 he was invited to hold a concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, for the Oxford University Press Early Music Weekend. Federico Bardazzi is the founder and artistic director of the Accademia San Felice that not only holds numerous yearly courses in its Music School, but also organises the Musica Sacra dal Mondo week, the International Festival of Youth Orchestras and In-canto Gregoriano, international meetings in Florence on the re-appraisal of early liturgical music, from both a scientific and interpretative point of view. Recordings by the Ensemble San Felice directed by Federico Bardazzi include the Six German Motets by Johann Sebastian Bach, the first world recording of the Messa sopra l’aria di Fiorenza by Girolamo Frescobaldi (Bongiovanni), the Cantigas de Santa Maria di Alfonso X “Nigra sum sed Formosa” (Bongiovanni), the medieval Florentine liturgical drama “Quem Queritis?” (Tactus), which they performed on numerous tours in Italy and abroad. Federico Bardazzi was professor of chamber music for strings and Baroque music at the Vincenzo Bellini Conservatory in Palermo, and now holds the same post at the Luca Marenzio Conservatory in Brescia. This has lead to regular and fruitful collaboration with the Ensemble Barocco Marenzio in Brescia and the Antiche Armonie choir in Bergamo, directed by Giovanni Duci. He is Director of Maggio Fiorentino Formazione and member of the International Committee of the AISCGre (International Association for Gregorian Chant).