“NINO ROTA” CONSERVATORY: A CULTURAL TREASURE FOR 55 YEARS
I am extremely proud to extend my greetings and warmest welcome to the distinguished guests at this important convention, also on behalf of the entire community of the “Nino Rota” Conservatory of Music in Monopoli, which I am honored to lead. I am grateful to the event’s organizers for the attention they have shown, not only to me, but above all to our institution. I am thankful to them for recognizing it as a unique and important educational, cultural, and artistic center in this region of great musical traditions, and for introducing it to the many distinguished guests present here.
The Conservatory in Monopoli was founded in 1971 by Nino Rota, a composer and, at the time, director of the Bari Conservatory, at the height of his career.
Originally established as a branch of the Bari Conservatory, the Monopoli Conservatory of Music became an independent institution in 2000 and was named in honor of Nino Rota shortly thereafter. In the wake of this tribute, proud to bear such a name and driven by the enthusiasm characteristic of all the young institutions emerging within the great Italian musical tradition, our institution has grown rapidly over the years in terms of the number of teachers and students, becoming, in a short time, one of the most popular and well-attended conservatories in Italy.
It currently has 130 teachers and more than 600 enrolled students, who carry out their activities at two locations. The older one is located in the former Convent of St. Anthony, a beautiful 17th-century building with a charming cloister. The other one—let’s call it the “new” one (where we are today)—is a former hotel with an adjacent movie theater, dating back to the early 20th century. It was recently renovated and features classrooms, a professional recording studio, a rooftop garden, and this 450-seat theater/auditorium.
The high standard of training achieved is evidenced by the numerous awards won by the students at national and international competitions and festivals. Many have become concertmasters of prestigious orchestras, some have launched international concert careers, and we are proud to see their names listed in the programs of the world’s most important concert venues.
It may suffice to mention just a few of the musicians who have studied here: pianist Beatrice Rana; Emanuele Urso, principal horn player with the orchestra of Teatro la Scala in Milan; harpist Claudia Lamanna; and many other young artists who bring prestige to our region and serve as ambassadors for us on the global music scene.
Building on its past achievements and following in the footsteps of Nino Rota, the Monopoli Conservatory is striving to achieve ambitious goals, both now and in the future.
A well-rounded educational curriculum and a wide-ranging artistic output are the cornerstones of our Conservatory’s programs. Here, students can study all vocal, instrumental, and ensemble subjects, including both so-called “traditional” disciplines and those related to new musical languages—from jazz to pop, from rock to film scoring. Furthermore, we have recently been placing greater emphasis on subjects related to “new technologies” and courses focused on emerging careers in the music industry, such as sound engineering, computer music, sound design, and so on.
In recent years, there has also been a strong emphasis on “inclusive” education for students with disabilities or psychological or social difficulties, with classrooms providing specific aids and equipment, supported by “peer” tutors, in order to achieve an increasingly seamless and effective integration.
Our Library, which began with a small collection of 300 items in the early 2000s, now boasts a bibliographic collection of 17,000 items, including musical editions, manuscripts, monographs, LPs, CDs, and DVDs. In addition, its archives preserve the Orazio Fiume Collection—named after the composer from Monopoli after whom the library is named—and the collection donated by the family of Vanna Rota, Nino Rota’s cousin.
Over the years, the Conservatory—which is particularly active and dynamic—has also forged a series of partnerships with local organizations and associations to promote its mission, creating and providing excellent opportunities and synergies for its cultural growth. At the same time, it has worked to provide increasing opportunities to showcase the talent and excellence of the many young students who are trained daily by an equally talented faculty.
The Conservatoire has also launched an international exchange and partnership policy that enables it to collaborate with 80 European partners.
Among these, I would like to mention an important partnership with the Kiev Music Academy in Ukraine. This latest initiative has made our Conservatory an important bridge between the Ukrainian Academy and Europe, at such a delicate and difficult time for that country.
Erasmus has also promoted and increased the international mobility of students and teachers, and laid the groundwork for establishing a solid and structured network of exchanges and collaborations.
We are therefore always ready to welcome enthusiastic young people who want to have a meaningful experience of personal growth, exchange, and training in a welcoming and inclusive environment.
Now, rather than hearing more from me, I think it might be more appropriate to introduce you to the program for our musical performance dedicated to our guiding figure, Nino Rota. The program will include some of his most celebrated musical works written for the cinema, and, continuing along the same musical theme, you will also hear excerpts from film scores composed by another towering figure in film music, Ennio Morricone.
This brief concert will be performed by the Conservatory’s Symphonic-Rhythmic Ensemble, composed of our students and conducted, on this occasion, by Maestro Paolo Vivaldi, to whom I now turn for a brief and detailed introduction to the program we have selected for you, with the aim of offering you a small glimpse into who we are through the language that comes most naturally to us.
Thank you, and I hope you have a pleasant stay here in Monopoli during these days of study and exchange.
Gianpaolo Schiavo, Director of the “Nino Rota” Conservatory