Join the National Music Centre and Honens for a special presentation featuring renowned artist, producer, pianist, and composer Federico Albanese as we celebrate 325 years of piano history.
The piano, invented in 1700 by Bartolomeo Cristofori of Italy, was initially known as 'clavicembalo col piano e forte,' meaning an harpsichord that can play soft and loud. Over the past three centuries, the piano has had a significant impact across many genres and eras of music
Premium Tickets
Premium tickets include reserved seating and an exclusive pre-show guided tour of NMC Studio Live Room C at 6:00 pm. Guests will explore some of NMC’s most treasured early keyboard instruments such as 16th century Transutino Harpsichord (1591), Cristofori Replica (reproduction of 1726 in the year 2000), Dulcken Hammerflugel (1791), and John Boardwood and Sons Grand Piano (1900).
About Federico Albanese
Federico Albanese is a genre-defying Italian musician, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer.
His musical versatility is a natural gift that pushes him to explore music in all its facets. Albanese's cinematic instrumental tracks, blending contemporary classical, pop, and electronic ambience, struck an instant chord for their airy, meditative beauty.
When he was just two years old, a local music store owner told his mother that her son had a gift for music. He began piano lessons at six and later explored jazz, punk rock, and new age music, blending these influences into his compositions. Albanese’s first two piano releases, The Houseboat and the Moon and The Blue Hour, were concept albums focused on specific themes, while 2018’s By the Deep Sea was “more like an inner space”, a personal reflection on himself.
He has also ventured into film scoring, composing for documentaries, TV shows, and major films like Autumn Beat (2022) and Last Swim (2024), which premiered at the Berlinale and won the Crystal Bear.
While the world becomes ever noisier, Albanese's evocative music creates a much-needed space to listen and be peaceful. His new album entitled Blackbirds and the Sun of October is coming on February 7, 2025, and it will be released by Sony's new innovative, cross-genres label imprint XXIM.
About NMC's Living Collection
NMC’s goal is to make music accessible to all Canadians — from those who visit Studio Bell to the many amazing artists who record in our studios and perform on our stages. Twenty percent of the musical instruments in the NMC Collection are maintained in functioning order to be used in recordings, performances, public programming, and educational programming. Comprised of more than 200 pieces, NMC's living collection provides artists with unprecedented access to instruments spanning more than 450 years of music history.