Mara Galassi (born 1956, in Milan) is an Italian harpist,[1] musicologist and recording artist[2] specializing in the music for Early harps,[3] including Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque, in particular double (cross-strung) and triple harps of the Renaissance and Baroque eras, as well as Classical era single-action pedal harps.[4]
She holds degrees from Pesaro Conservatory of Music and the Civica Scuola di Musica in Milan. She studied historical performance practice under harpsichordist David Collyer in Amsterdam, lutenist Patrick O'Brien in New York City, and musicology with Michael Morrow in London.
As of 2013, she is a professor of modern and historical harps at the Civica Scuola di Musica di Milano. She is a founding member of the Historical Harp Society.[3]
Mara Galassi is active as a soloist, as well as a member of early music Ensembles, including Hesperion XX (dir. Jordi Savall), Concerto Soave,[5] Concerto Vocale (dir. René Jacobs), Concerto Italiano (dir. Rinaldo Alessandrini), Mala Punica (dir. Pedro Memelsdorff), and Cantus Cölln (dir. Konrad Junghänel).
Galassi is also a musicologist doing research on historical harps.[2]
Her CD "Il Viaggio di Lucrezia" won the “Cannes Award” and “Choc de la Musique” awards.[6]
VOLUPTAS DOLENDI: I Gesti del Caravaggio (а film by Francesco Vitali, with Mara Galassi & Deda Cristina Colonna)[7] [8] [9]