The Claudio Monteverdi Conservatory of Music in Cremona is a public monteverdi Istitution of Higher Education in Art and Music, with related research and artistic production activities.
After the establishment of the International School of Violin-Making, in 1938, in order to revive the great Cremonese violin-making tradition, and of the ‘School of
Music Palaeography and Philology, in 1952, as an institute for musicological research, the City of Cremona approved, in 1971, as a natural consequence of
Cremona’s vocation and deep-rooted musical culture, the establishment of the Civic Music School entitled to Claudio Monteverdi.
The school, initially located in a building in the Santa Maria della Pietà complex near Piazza Lodi, soon became deeply rooted in the musical and social network of
the area, playing a key role in musical study and education.
In 2001, the school was moved to its current location in Via Realdo Colombo and, two years later, was granted equal status with the State Conservatories. Since 2007, the Istituto Superiore di Studi Musicali “Claudio Monteverdi”, with the introduction of first- and second-level academic courses, has been recognized in the National Higher Education in Art and Music sector and, since 2010, in the Common and European Space of University Education. In 2023 the institution has become State Music Conservatoire “Claudio Monteverdi” of Cremona. Over the years, the Conservatoire, through the activity of distinguished teachers, has trained and introduced many young and talented musicians to musical careers and teaching. In just a few years, Cremona Conservatoire has become a point of reference for artistic and educational studies, providing a constantly widening range of training and
activities, articulated in two main areas focusing on the statutory principles and the
territory.
High Musical Education Courses with a closed number:
– 25 Level I Academic Courses (equated to the Bachelor Degree)
– 22 Level II Academic Courses (equated to the Master degree)
– Doctoral Research Courses (beginning in December 2024)
– AFAM propaedeutic courses in preparation for academic courses;
– Masterclasses with guest professors;
Conservatoire Training Courses for All with free access:
– Basic music training courses preparatory to AFAM courses;
– Free courses and workshops in Instrumental and Singing, providing an opportunit to approach and study Music at several levels with qualified teachers;
– Refresher courses for teachers.
The Conservatoire has established several relationships and collaborations with important national and international organizations over the years. It collaborates with the Department of Musicology (University of Pavia) and is part of a Conservatoire federation with the Pavia, Gallarate and Bergamo conservatoires. It has for years hosted the prestigious Walter Stauffer Foundation courses and has organized several masterclasses and seminars with guest teachers such as Massimo Quarta, Bruno Canino, Wilson
Hermanto, Mario Brunello, Gabriele Pieranunzi, Sonia Prina, Enrico Gatti, Gaetano Nasillo, Thierry Rosbach, Staffan Sheja, Luigi Piovano, Giorgio Berrugi, Kit Armstrong and others, collaborating with institutions such as Casa Stradivari Foundation and ESTA European String Teachers Association.
The Conservatoire conducts artistic and musicology research and has a vibrant artistic production activity with a Concert Season held at the Civic Museum of Cremona. In addition, it organizes many artistic productions in collaboration with Teatro Ponchielli – Monteverdi Festival, Museo del Violino, FAI Fondo Ambiente Italiano, Bocconi University in Milan, Regione Lombardia and EUSALP, CIDIM in Rome, and numerous national concert associations. Recent projects include concerts with Chamber and Symphonic Orchestra, the Brahms Chamber Music project shared with the federated conservatoires, the first performance in modern times of Baldassarre Galuppi’s Il Ritorno di Tobia in Cremona Monteverdi Festival and Venice Galuppi Festival, by the Animosi del Monteverdi conducted by Enrico Casazza in collaboration with the Department of Musicology, Puccini 1924-2024 Project with concerts, lectures and exhibitions with State Library of Cremona.
The Conservatoire, an active member of the European Association of Conservatoires and part of the Erasmus Plus program, has undertaken an important internationalization
process and has established relations with several Universities of Music in Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Lithuania,
Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain, and Sweden.
In addition to European relations, international agreements are active with Korea, and students benefit from constant contact with orchestras and music ensembles visiting Cremona with the Cremona Masterclass project promoted by the Chamber of Commerce of Cremona. The collaboration with the Cremona Summer Academy, an international summer academy created with teachers from the United States, Russia, Japan, and other countries, has led to the production of hundreds of musical events. The Conservatoire Claudio Monteverdi is included in the Cremona Luthery Protection Plan, a local system for the promotion of Cremonese violin making, a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, together with the Violin’s Museum, the International School of Violin-Making, the Department of Musicology and Cultural Heritage of University of Pavia, the Polytechnical University of Milan (branch of Cremona), the Special agency for professional training “Cr. Forma”, the Scientific Labs of the Violin’s Museum, and more than 70 Cremonese violin makers. Beautiful ancient Palazzo Magio Grasselli, situated in via XX settembre, will host the Conservatoire after its restoration.
In addition to teaching activities, the Conservatory reserves ample space for artistic production activities, organized both independently and in collaboration with the many educational and artistic agencies in the area, which is marked by a prestigious and fervent musical tradition.
The Cremona Conservatory is included in the ErasmusPlus international student and staff mobility program and has frequent exchanges with international orchestras and academies that visit Cremona. It promotes activities in research and in the social sphere.
The Conservatory places among its main goals the musical training at the highest professional levels; the dissemination and increase of musical culture of all grades, including through collaboration with institutions and cultural realities for basic and secondary education; the dissemination of musical and artistic culture, in all its forms through educational and cultural paths consistent with the educational and social needs of the population of the territory.