The Organist of the Milan Duomo

Alessandro La Ciacera (1979) graduated with top marks in Organ and Organ Composition at the Conservatory of Milan, under the guidance of Luigi Benedetti, subsequently perfecting his organ repertoire with Alessio Corti and Patrick Delabre. For several years, he then studied organ improvisation in Paris with Sophie-Véronique Cauchefer-Choplin. Winner of several national organ competitions (Rome, 2001; Viterbo, 2002; Vanzaghello, 2002), in September 2009 he won the ‘Troisième Prix d’Interpretation’ at the International Organ Competition ‘Organ without borders’ in Luxembourg and the first prize at the International Organ Interpretation Competition ‘Città di Ovada’.

In 2005 the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano appointed him Second Organist of the Duomo of Milan and in 2022 Organist of the Duomo of Milan. In 2005 he was called upon to collaborate with Karlheinz Stockhausen on the final draft of ‘Himmelfahrt’, the only piece for organ by the well-known German composer, performing it in its world premiere in the Duomo of Milan and gaining unanimous acclaim from Italian and foreign critics. At the same time, he carries out teaching activities at the Pontifical Ambrosian Institute of Sacred Music (2003-2013) and at the Diocesan School of Music and Liturgy in Como (2013-2021).

Considered among the best Italian improvisers of his generation, his repertoire ranges equally from the baroque to the 20th century. He has made recordings for the Italian label ‘Bottega Discantica’ and the Swiss label ‘VDE-Gallo’.