Harpsichordist and conductor Francesco Corti was born in Arezzo, Italy, into a musical family in 1984. He studied organ in Perugia, then harpsichord in Geneva and Amsterdam.
He was awarded prizes at the International “Johann Sebastian Bach” Competition in Leipzig (2006) and the Bruges Harpsichord Competition (2007).
As a soloist and conductor, he has appeared in recitals and concerts across Europe, the USA, Canada, Latin America, Asia, and New Zealand. He has performed in prestigious venues such as the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (Paris), Bozar (Brussels), Konzerthaus (Vienna), Philharmonie (Berlin and Hamburg), Mozarteum and Haus für Mozart (Salzburg), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Teatro Real (Madrid), Palau de la Música Catalana (Barcelona), Tonhalle (Zürich), and Müpa (Budapest).
Since 2018, he has been the principal guest conductor of Il Pomo d’Oro. Among other projects with this ensemble, he has conducted European tours of Händel’s Orlando, Radamisto, Tolomeo, and Berenice. His collaboration with Il Pomo d’Oro includes numerous recordings. He is regularly invited to lead ensembles such as the Freiburger Barockorchester, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, Les Musiciens du Louvre, Tafelmusik, Kammerorchester Basel, B’Rock, and the Nederlandse Bachvereniging. Since January 2023, he has served as Musical Director at the Drottningholm Royal Court Theater.
Recent highlights include performances of Händel’s Messiah with Kammerorchester Basel and the Tölzer Knabenchor, Bach’s Matthäus-Passion with Freiburger Barockorchester, Monteverdi’s Orfeo and Vivaldi’s Orlando with Il Pomo d’Oro, and Lully’s Armide at Drottningholm. Upcoming projects include Händel’s Alcina and Jephtha with Il Pomo d’Oro, Terradellas’s Merope with Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, and Cimarosa’s Il Matrimonio Segreto at Teatro San Carlo in Naples.
His solo recordings have received some of the most prestigious international awards, including the Diapason d’Or de l’Année, the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik, Gramophone’s Editor’s Choice, and the Choc de Classica. His recent solo recording (Arcana) is dedicated to D. Scarlatti. Another notable release, The Age of Extremes (Arcana, January 2025), features music by Benda and Bach, performed with Il Pomo d’Oro.
He has taught masterclasses worldwide and, since September 2016, has been a professor of harpsichord at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis.
