Claudio Astronio is an eclectic musician and active as a harpsichordist, organist and conductor. Currently, he mainly conducts his early instruments ensemble “Harmonices Mundi”, which performs on a regular basis at the most prestigious festivals in Europe, USA, Japan, Mexico and Canada. He has worked with musicians such as Emma Kirkby, Max Van Egmond, Dan Laurin, Gemma Bertagnolli, Susanne Ryden, Yuri Bashmet and Gustav Leonhardt, and he has participated in numerous radio and television broadcasts all over the world. Several of his harpsichord and organ recordings have received many international awards such as Musica, CD Classica, Amadeus, Musica, Classic Voice, Alte Musik Aktuelle, Diapason (Diapason d’Or 2003), Repertoire, Le monde de la musique (“Choc”, July 2001), El Paìs, Ritmo, Diverdi, Goldberg , Continuo and Fanfare and Gramophone. In 2017 Brilliant Classics published the world premiere recording of the complete keyboard works by Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, which has been honored with the many awards including CD of the month and CD of the year distinctions in the USA. He has been conductor of Theresia Orchestra, performing classic and pre-romantic symphonic repertoire with period instruments. Among his musical interests are also Jazz and pop music; the crossover CD “Coplas a lo divino”, between early music and improvisation and with Maria Pia de Vito, Michel Godard and Paolo Fresu was released recently.
Claudio Astronio made his cinema debut as the main character of the movie “La Corda spezzata – life and works of Alessandro Stradella” directed by Francesco Leprino, and as a conductor in the movie “Zoroastro: io, Giacomo Casanova” with Galatea Ranzi directed by Gianni di Capua.
He held masterclasses in Tokyo, Oberlin Conservatoire, Mexico City University and other Academies in Europe, USA, Japan and as a guest teacher at the Royal College of Music in London. He is member of the Doctorate Commission Board at Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and teaches harpsichord, historical keyboards and chamber music at the Conservatorio “A.Scontrino” in Trapani.
