Founded in the mid-19th century as a Municipal School and converted into a Conservatory in 1969, the Vivaldi Conservatory is housed in the 18th-century Palazzo Cuttica di Cassine. It covers 3,200 square meters. It has 56 classrooms and two concert halls: the Abbà Cornaglia Hall and the Pittaluga Auditorium, which houses a three-manual organ with pedals (Pinchi – Opus 421) and a prestigious Steinway grand piano.
The Vivaldi Conservatory hosts approximately 400 students from across Italy and around the world, in addition to students from the Musica Prima courses and the Adult Music School. There are over 80 teachers in total.
Course Offering
The “Vivaldi” Institute for Advanced Musical Education offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the following departments: Singing and Musical Theater (Operatic Singing, Renaissance and Baroque Singing), Teaching, New Technologies and Musical Languages (Electronic Music and Jazz), Bowed and Stringed Instruments (Violin, Baroque Violin, Viola, Viola da gamba, Cello, Double Bass, Harp, Guitar, Lute), Wind Instruments (Flute, Recorder, Oboe and English Horn, Clarinet and Bass Clarinet, Bassoon, Saxophone, French Horn, Trumpet, Trombone), Keyboard and Percussion Instruments (Harpsichord and Historical Keyboards, Accordion, Organ and Organ Composition, Piano, Historical Piano, Percussion Instruments), Theory and Analysis, Composition and Conducting (Composition, Choral Conducting, and Choral Composition).
The Interdepartmental Programs of Early Music, Ensemble Music, and General Musicology are also active, as are Preparatory Courses for Singing, Composition, Jazz, Choral Music, New Technologies, and all Instruments.
The educational offering is complemented by Masterclasses and in-depth seminars led by internationally renowned in-house instructors and external guests. All educational activities organized by the Conservatory are open to external users, both as active participants and auditors, and certificates of attendance are issued.
Collaborations
Since 2010, the Vivaldi Conservatory has coordinated the Network for Basic Music Education, which brings together a large number of organizations active in the field of musical promotion in Piedmont, Liguria, and Lombardy. Their goal is to share educational programs, experiences, and production activities, such as the now traditional Music Marathon. Agreements are also in place with the Music High Schools of Alessandria, Vercelli, and Asti.
International Activities
For years, the “Vivaldi” Conservatory has been involved in the Erasmus program, which became Erasmus+ in 2014. Since 2015, it has also been part of the Working with Music Consortium, an Erasmus+ mobility project created to provide young musicians with the opportunity to undertake professional internships in Europe.
Library
It is dedicated to Carlo Mosso, composer and former Director of the Institute. It houses over 30,000 titles and a large collection of recordings (including rare ones) on various audio media.
Artistic Activities
The Conservatory hosts numerous ensembles: the Symphony Orchestra, the Polyphonic Choir and Chamber Choir, the Children’s Choir, the EVC-Ensemble Vivaldi Contemporaneo, the OGdF-Youth Wind Instrument Orchestra, and finally singing companies and ensembles with variable numbers focused on specific repertoires and genres (from Baroque to contemporary).
The Vivaldi Orchestra plans more than 100 concerts, theatrical performances, and seminars each year. Since 2012, the “Vivaldi Seasons” have been organized under the title “Le Stagioni del Vivaldi” (The Vivaldi Seasons): Entering the House of Music (school concerts), Wednesdays at the Conservatory (chamber music season), Scatola Sonora (Sound Box), the International Festival of Opera and Small-Scale Musical Theater, and L’Altra Musica (The Other Music), concerts exploring ethnic and folk traditions. Added to all this is the biennial “Werther-Emilio Benzi” National Double Bass Performance Competition.
