Accademia del Piacere
Under the artistic direction of viol player Fahmi Alqhai, Accademia del Piacere is one of Europe’s leading early music ensembles. Renowned for their innovative projects, outstanding musical performance, and strong stage presence, they are at the forefront of historically informed yet emotionally charged interpretation. The ensemble is celebrated for its direct and vivid communication with audiences, approaching early music as a living art form – expressive, passionate, and relevant.
Their repertoire spans the Italian Seicento (Le Lacrime di Eros, Amori di Marte), Spanish Renaissance music (Rediscovering Spain, Colombina), and theatrical works of the Spanish Baroque (Muera Cupido, with Nuria Rial). Projects such as Las Idas y las Vueltas and Diálogos explore the intersection between early music and flamenco.
Accademia del Piacere has received numerous international awards, including the Opus Klassik, Choc de Classica, GEMA Awards, and the Giraldillo of the Seville Flamenco Biennial. The ensemble performs in major venues worldwide, such as the Berliner Philharmonie, Wiener Konzerthaus, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Oji Hall Tokyo, and the Auditorio Nacional de Madrid, among many others. Their concerts are regularly broadcast by leading radio and television networks across the globe.
Fahmi Alqhai
Fahmi Alqhai is recognized as one of the world’s most brilliant and prestigious viola da gamba players, and among the leading interpreters of early music today. Renowned for his expressive and communicative approach to historical repertoires, he bridges cultures through his artistry and vision.
Born in Seville in 1976 to a Syrian father and Palestinian mother, Alqhai embodies a dialogue between Mediterranean worlds. He is the artistic director of FeMAS – the Early Music Festival of Seville, Spain’s oldest and most important early music festival, and leads the internationally acclaimed ensemble Accademia del Piacere.
With Accademia del Piacere, he has performed at major venues across Europe, the Americas, and Asia, and earned numerous international awards: Muera Cupido won the 2020 Opus Klassik Award, the album Columbina (2024) received three GEMA Awards; Les Violes du Ciel et de l’Enfer was nominated for the ICMA; and Le Lacrime di Eros won the Prelude Classical Music Award.
His collaborations with flamenco artists have been especially groundbreaking — Las idas y las vueltas with Arcángel earned the Giraldillo Award for Best Music at the 2012 Seville Flamenco Biennial, and Diálogos with Rocío Márquez received the Giraldillo for Innovation in 2016. His solo albums A piacere (2014) and The Bach Album (2016) further established his reputation as a visionary performer; both won multiple prizes from GEMA, Scherzo, and Melómano. In 2018 he was awarded the Medal of the City of Seville.
From a young age Alqhai has regularly performed with leading internationally – renowned early music ensembles such as Hespèrion XXI (Jordi Savall), Il Suonar Parlante (Vittorio Ghielmi), and has appeared as soloist with major orchestras including the National Orchestra of Spain, Philharmonic Orchestra of Galicia, Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne (Michael Corboz) and the Orquesta Barroca de Sevilla. His artistic curiosity extends beyond early music to collaborations in contemporary and jazz projects with musicians such as Uri Caine.
He has recorded for labels including Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, Alia Vox, Glossa, Winter & Winter, and his own label Alqhai & Alqhai, and is frequently featured on television and radio worldwide.
Alqhai spent his early childhood in Syria, where he began studying music before continuing in Seville with Ventura Rico. He later studied with Paolo Pandolfo at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis and with Vittorio Ghielmi at the Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano. Alongside his musical training, he earned a degree in Dentistry from the University of Seville.