Davide Friello: Portrait of a Handpan Master, On the Road and on Stage

Have you recently discovered a musician named Davide Friello who plays a percussion instrument that looks like a UFO? Want to know more about this talented artist? How did he discover—and eventually specialize in—this musical instrument called a handpan or Hang drum? What does his full discography look like?

After his album "Immersion" was released in 2018, I discovered Davide Friello and immediately loved his compositions. Ever since, I’ve been keeping a close eye on his releases and latest news. In this short article, I’ll share detailed information about this Italian percussionist.

By reading this article, you will learn:

• Davide Friello’s musical journey
• The different albums he has released
• The various projects he has taken part in

That way, you’ll learn everything worth knowing about this remarkable handpan player.

Now, let’s take a closer look at Davide Friello’s musical life.

How did Davide Friello discover the handpan?

Born on June 13, 1983, in Florence, Italy, Davide Friello is a musician specializing in percussion. He studied music in Milan, notably at the Educational Music Academy. In 2010, he discovered the instrument during a trip to Barcelona, Spain—at a time when the handpan was still rare and largely handmade, having been invented less than 10 years earlier. Fascinated by its ethereal, hypnotic sound, he put his name on a maker’s waiting list and had to wait nearly three years to receive his first one!

It wasn’t until 2013 that Davide Friello began his musical adventure with his own handpan. From that moment on, he fully immersed himself in the unique, unconventional tones of this flying saucer-shaped metal object. His background as a percussionist prior to discovering the handpan quickly allowed him to play both rhythm and melody. Driven by curiosity, Davide Friello even went so far as to learn the basics of handpan making by spending time in the workshop of Meraki Instruments, an Italian maker based near Florence, where he was born.

Over the years, Davide Friello has performed in more than 50 countries across five continents. From prestigious Italian concert halls, such as the LaVerdi Auditorium and the Teatro degli Arcimboldi in Milan, the Parco della Musica in Rome, and the Teatro Verdi in Florence, to international festivals, he has brought the sound of his handpans to audiences worldwide. He has been applauded at the Hang Loose Festival in Hawaii, the Handpan Festival in France (near Montpellier), Hang Out UK in England, as well as in Central America at the Atitlán Festival in Guatemala and in Asia (Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, etc.). Wherever he goes, this nomadic artist takes his instrument with him and shares his melodies with a wide range of audiences, whether on theater stages, outdoors, or at eclectic cultural events. Among the most memorable moments of his career is his participation in the large New Year’s 2020 concert for peace in Piazza della Signoria in Florence.

What also sets this artist apart is his tendency to offer one-of-a-kind concerts that become true musical experiences. Far from traditional concert halls, Davide Friello prefers to play his favorite instrument in unusual settings such as deep in a forest, at dawn facing the sea, or outdoors under a starry night sky. In the Dolomites, a mountain range in Italy, he gave a concert where the audience, after climbing a snowy path to a mountain chalet, enjoyed a twilight performance high in the mountains. Each show becomes a unique sensory journey, often close to nature, where the sounds of the mountains or the sea blend beautifully with the gentle tones of his handpan.

What is the discography of this Italian musician who plays the Hang drum?

Davide Friello’s discography includes several studio albums, which are listed below:

• Ritmatika (2014): his first album, where he plays the handpan alongside other percussion and world instruments.
• Violin & Hang (2015): a duo improvisation album with German violinist Katharina Mlitz-Hussain, combining the sounds of violin and Hang drum.
• 5 Elements (2016): a conceptual exploration in five pieces inspired by the elements of nature, incorporating natural sounds and touches of synthesizers.
• Immersion (2018): a landmark album launched during a concert at the Teatro Verdi in Florence and distributed internationally via the EMA/BELIEVE label. This album features the track "Ian," Davide Friello’s most popular piece, with nearly 20,000 views on YouTube. You can listen to it below:

• Amplexus (2024): an album whose title means "embrace" in Latin. Co-produced with composer Leo Z, this new release delivers cinematic soundscapes that blend handpan with ancestral percussion and synthesizers.

Alongside these albums, which you can purchase on CD from the artist’s official website, Davide Friello has collaborated on various large-scale musical projects. In 2015, he contributed to Italian pianist Giulia Mazzoni’s album Room 2401 (released by Sony Music in 2016) with an original composition for piano and handpan titled "Merope," recorded alongside renowned composer Michael Nyman, who also appears on the album. His melodies can also be heard in the soundtrack of the film Zitta (a Tuscan mid-length film) and in the documentary Viaggio nell’anima, presented at the Montecatini Film Festival. He also offers private handpan lessons in person or online for $35 per hour.

Practice the handpan with an excellent model, just like Davide Friello

Davide Friello has established himself as a complete handpan artist, combining technical virtuosity, creativity, and humanity. From the heart of Tuscany to stages around the world, he has taken his audience on a journey into a unique sound universe that is both modern and ancestral. Now, thanks to all the information you have read in this article, you certainly have a very good overview of Davide Friello’s musical career.

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On a completely different note, discover Connor Shafran, a handpan player who skillfully blends this percussion instrument with electronic music, especially loops, to create a kind of technological, acoustic magic.