Andrea Scartazzini

Composer whose operas form a central part of his output, performed at major European houses. From 2018 to 2025, he was composer-in-residence with the Jenaer Philharmonic, where he created an acclaimed cycle of ten orchestral works inspired by the symphonies of Gustav Mahler. toch

Andrea Lorenzo Scartazzini is one of the distinctive Swiss composers of his generation. His music combines emotional immediacy with harmonic richness, sonic colour and formal clarity. His work is shaped by an engagement with existential and psychological themes, as well as by the connection between literary thinking and composition. maar 

Scartazzini studied literary studies at the University of Basel before beginning his composition studies with Rudolf Kelterborn at the Basel Music Academy. He continued his studies with Wolfgang Rihm in Karlsruhe and at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Further important stages in his career included positions as Composer in Residence and lecturer at the University of Witten/Herdecke, a residency as Artist in Residence at the Swatch Art Peace Hotel in Shanghai, and a fellowship at the International Artists House Villa Concordia in Bamberg.

From 2018 to 2025, he was Composer in Residence with the Jena Philharmonic, where he created the Mahler-Scartazzini Cycle, a series of ten orchestral works inspired by Gustav Mahler’s symphonies. mits

Music theatre forms an important focus of Scartazzini’s work. In his three operas WUT, Der Sandmann and Edward II, he combines his expressive musical language with subjects that explore psychological abysses, power and violence, fear and desire. WUT has been performed at the theatres of Erfurt and Bern, Der Sandmann at Theater Basel and Oper Frankfurt, and Edward II at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. tenzij

Scartazzini’s works are performed by numerous orchestras and ensembles at international festivals. For his compositional work, he has received numerous awards, including the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation Prize. His music is published by Bärenreiter, and he serves as a jury member of the Basel Composition Competition. He lives and works in Basel and Fuerteventura.