New Director of Music at the Conservatory Santa Cecilia in Rome

ITALY (eTN) – The direction of the Conservatorio “Santa Cecilia” the school of music’s most important to Rome has been entrusted to Maestro Alfredo Santoloci.

Maestro Alfredo Santoloci is the new director of one of the most prestigious music conservatories in Europe. The birth of the institution’s current Conservatory of Music Santa Cecilia dates back to 1875, but the musical institution from which it is derived (the Congregation of Musicians of Rome, then the Academy) seems to have taken more than 500 years to take shape, in the sixteenth century, becoming the Congregation of Musici di Roma. It soon became the largest music school in the then Pontiff state, growing in importance to become one of the largest schools in Europe.

Thousands of students have graduated from the Conservatory over the years, and many have become important composers, pianists, singers, world-renowned. Among these are Ennio Morricone, who became one of the greatest composers of film music; the conductor, Carlo Maria Giulini; and also those who have moved into different careers, such as Anna Magnani (cinema and theatre actress), and singer Gianni Morandi.

Credits to Maestro Santoloci include composer, multi-instrumentalist graduated in composition, electronic music, saxophone and clarinet, and a resume that includes performances in Italy, several European countries and the Middle East, the RAI-Italian Radio-TV, and the Vatican Radio. His musical compositions have also been included on the occasions of contemporary music concerts and jazz festivals.

The Maestro Santoloci has in store initiatives to improve the future of the Santa Cecilia Conservatory, as revealed on an occasion of an exclusive personal interview about the development and revitalization with reference to programs to improve the activity of the Conservatorio in the territory.

Among these are included a dynamic production, and research open to the world, with an exchange of Erasmus-like initiatives, and the production and promotion of the Institute in Italy.

The ambition is to create 5 new festivals of early music, as well as electronic and jazz music, with performances in locations from the Rome Argentine theatre to the Maxxi (National Museum of the 21st Century Contemporary Arts and Architecture), Tor Bella Monaca (a large urban settlement in a Roman suburb), and the Museum of Musical Instruments in Rome.

“The activity at 360 degrees,” said the Maestro, “Requires the collaboration of all internal components; the initiative puts us in light in the city because the performances are held not only in the city central districts but include also the Auditorium Parco della Musica and city squares, (Fori Imperiali as a recent example) and in our academic space: the historic Concert Hall. The spread through various web sites and, given the importance of festivals and the important names of guests attending, we can benefit of an increase of publicity at no charge. The Santa Cecilia Conservatory is the most famous in the world and awakens the interest of many fellows scattered in the world through Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with Vienna, Paris, Moscow, Tokyo, Peking, and others, to exchange students.”

What are the next events in store?

“On October 4, 2014 we will be at the Vatican in the Nervi Hall where the Youth Academy of Naples will perform for Pope Bergoglio at a conference on young athletes with disabilities. Next comes the Vatican Museum where we will start a series of concerts, protagonists of our vocal and instrumental groups. The opening concert will be in the Raffaello Hall.

“A concert will be held in Rome on the occasion of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the collaboration between Italy and Kuwait, as part of the agreements with the Embassy of Italy in Kuwait and Sheikh Ali Khaled Al-Sabah of the State of Kuwait. This includes a collaboration – exchange of experiences between representatives of the two countries.”

Projects for 2015?

“In 2015 we will celebrate the Festival of Intercultural Embassies in the world. We shall be the leaders.”

Following the Maestro Santoloci’s comment concerning the financial difficulties of the Conservatory, the question arose naturally concerning the financial support of the Italian Ministry of Culture.

“As far as financial resources, the Academy suffers from a great deal of inadequate attention by the institutions,” replied Santoloci, adding: “We are, therefore, forced to draw funds from the fees paid by the students to the Conservatory of Music.”

How many students are home to the Conservatory?

“An average of 1,500 students each year (around 80/100 graduates annually) and 170 teachers.

“We proceed with our plans despite the difficulties, because we cannot forget the social importance of culture and its ability to unite people.”

Any financial contributions from the European community?

“The problem with young people is the lack of employment; many orchestras are closed down frequently abroad. This saddens us; we have incredibly talented young people from 57 countries,” concluded Maestro Santoloci.