Faster, higher, stronger: composer Andrea Farri on Orchestrating Harmony for the Olympic Games Milano Cortina 2026

Andrea Farri at Abbey Road Studios

The Italian classical music and film composer Andrea Farri, has been announced as the Musical Director for the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games Milano Cortina. In this guest posting, we talk to Andrea Farri and find out a little bit more.

Andrea Farri, born in 1982 in Rome, has established himself as one of Italy’s most versatile and original composers. Known for a distinctive compositional style that fuses classical orchestration with electronic textures, Farri often employs vintage analogue synthesisers to create a sound that is both rooted in tradition and strikingly contemporary. Over a career spanning cinema, television, and theatre, he has earned acclaim for his emotive, atmospheric scores, including the 2015 Globo d’Oro for Best Film Score and the 2023 Soundtrack Stars Award at the Venice Film Festival for his work on Matteo Garrone’s Io Capitano. Growing up immersed in Italy’s cinematic and theatrical world – his mother is the celebrated actress Lucia Poli, his father the director Pier Farri, and his uncle the legendary actor Paolo Poli – Farri developed an early understanding of storytelling through performance and music.

Now, Andrea Farri takes his storytelling expertise to a global stage as the Music Director of the Winter Olympic Games Milano Cortina 2026 Opening Ceremony. Scheduled for February 6th at Milan’s iconic San Siro Stadium, the ceremony, titled Armonia ("Harmony"), will combine live performances, cinematic staging, and immersive music to celebrate the Olympic spirit. Farri oversees the entire musical direction, creating original compositions that unify the show’s narrative, highlight Italy’s cultural heritage, and connect millions of spectators worldwide. In this exclusive interview, Farri discusses his artistic journey, the translation of cinematic sensibilities to an Olympic spectacle, and the universal language of music that will connect millions of spectators worldwide.

Your career has spanned cinema, television, and theatre. Which moments or turning points do you feel most directly led you to becoming Music Director for the Olympic Games Milano Cortina 2026 Opening Ceremony?

Andrea Farri: I imagine there were two in particular: the soundtrack of “Io Capitano” by Matteo Garrone (Silver Lion and Soundtrack Stars Award at the 2023 Venice Film Festival and Oscar and Golden Globe nominated) and the collaboration with Roland Emmerich on the action series “Those About to Die” (starring Anthony Hopkins and Iwan Reon), one of the most-watched TV shows in the world in 2024. Two memorable experiences with two great directors, on two completely different projects!

The Advent Carol Service at St John's College, Cambridge

Christopher Gray and the Choir of St John's College, Cambridge

The Advent Carol Service: Judith Weir, Laura Sheils, Paul Manz, Mendelssohn, Edward Picton-Turbervill, Orlando Gibbons, John Rutter, Herbert Howells, Britten, Errollyn Wallen; Choir of St John's College, Cambridge, Christopher Gray, Pascal Bachmann, Tingshuo Yang; Chapel of St John's College, Cambridge
Reviewed 29 November 2025

The Advent Carol Service at St John's has become a musical highlight of the season. This year with music Judith Weir and Errollyn Wallen, along with works by younger composers, with several pieces having links to the college.

The Advent Carol Service at St John's College Chapel, Cambridge was developed in the mid-twentieth century for the College community and is led by the College Choir. Since the 1980s the service has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and has become one of the musical highlights of the season. This year the service took place in St John's College Chapel on 29 November and 30 November, the latter broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, led by the Dean, The Rev'd Canon Dr Victoria Johnson and the Chaplain, The Rev' Graham Dunn. Christopher Gray, Director of Music, conducted the Choir of St John’s College which consists of around 20 boy and girl treble Choristers from St John’s College School, alongside 18 mixed-gender Choral Scholars and Choral Graduates. Earlier this year, I chatted to Christopher Gray about his first disc with the choir [see my interview, 'A carefully curated programme rather than a disc to dip into']

I was lucky enough to attend the service on Saturday 29 November. This featured music by Judith Weir, Laura Sheils, Paul Manz, Mendelssohn, Edward Picton-Turbervill, Orlando Gibbons, John Rutter, Herbert Howells, Britten, and a new carol by Errollyn Wallen. Several pieces had links to the college, including arrangements by former Directors of Music, George Guest and Christopher Robinson, whilst Laura Sheils has already written for the Choir, John Rutter's There is a flower was composed for the Choir in 1985, the Magnificat came from Howells' Collegium Sancti Johannis Cantabrigiense written for the Choir in 1957, there was a carol by one of the College's graduates, Edward Picton-Turbervill and Errollyn Wallen's new carol, Nolo mortem peccatoris was not only commissioned by the Master and Fellows but sets an anonymous 15th century text from one of St John's College's manuscripts.

Chapel of St John's College, Cambridge
which was built in the 1860s by George Gilbert Scott