BOLOGNA UNESCO CITY OF MUSIC

Emilia-Romagna has an important musical heritage in its territory, especially in Bologna which has been designated in 2006 as a City of Music by UNESCO. It is the first Italian city to have obtained this acknowledgment from UNESCO and now it is part of the Global Alliance’s Creative Cities Network, which gives it the possibility to activate international exchanges and promote the local music sector. You can’t imagine how many things related to the music you can find in Bologna! This city has used music as a tool to fight racism and discrimination, to promote integration and socio-economic development. Bologna offers a sparkling musical vivacity from a cultural, professional, and academic point of view. The city is home of a wide range of music styles, like important seasons of classical and contemporary music, live music clubs, jazz, rock, electronic music, hip-hop, and it also has famous bands and songwriters.

Here is a list of places and music institutions to discover for a music lover:

wineries, with a soul of jazz, electronic, and songwriter music. Jazz is the one mostly spread in clubs and associations, and Bologna has now become a melting pot for all enthusiasts of this music genre. In the city center, you can walk along a street known as “La strada del Jazz”, so-called because of the presence of golden stars on the ground which remind of the world’s greatest jazz musicians

Lucio Dalla, one of the best Italian songwriter, spent his life in Bologna: don’t miss the chance to visit his house, where every Friday a guided tour reveals the passions of this eccentric personality who left a footprint in Italian music and who was profoundly in love with his city

Museo Internazionale e Biblioteca della Musica (International museum and library of music of Bologna), is considered one of the most important European institutions dedicated to music history, do you know why? Because it contains an extensive collection of musical instruments, valuable documents and portraits of musicians like Verdi, Bach and Mozart, displaying almost six centuries of European music history. Among these documents it is worth mentioning Mozart’s admission test to Accademia Filarmonica

Still not convinced? Then look here at 10 reasons why you shouldn’t miss the visit to this museum 

Collezione Tagliavini, located inside the complex of religious buildings called San Colombano. The collection hosts unique musical instruments of the Maestro Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini, who was an organist and harpsichordist. Many of these unique pieces are decorated with paintings of the 17th and 18th century

Teatro Comunale (the city Opera House), it is the city’s main theatre opened in 1763. Its directors have always shown a particular devotion for Richard Wagner’s works and in fact the majority of its premieres in Italy were hosted here. You can visit the theatre thanks to guided tours.

Basilica of San Petronio, located in Piazza Maggiore in the heart of Bologna, where you can find a massive organ built in 1470, regarded as the oldest instrument of its kind still functioning today

Recording studios Fonoprint, where many famous Italian singers have recorded their masterpieces, such as Zucchero, Vasco Rossi, Luca Carboni and Lucio Dalla himself. Once there, you can also visit the Sound and Song Museum with an interesting exhibition on the restoration of the original analog tapes of the main discographic productions of Italian songwriters

 STUDY AND WORK OPPORTUNITIES 

If you are a musician or you want to become one, Emilia-Romagna offers you opportunities to study and work in academies and orchestras of note. 

In this sense it is important to mention the Accademia Filarmonica, a corporation of professional musicians that in the past had eminent members like Wagner, Puccini, Liszt and Verdi. Here you can apply for study courses, or attend opera concerts in one of Europe’s oldest and most prominent secular musical institutions of the 17th century. Certificates issued by the Accademia were regarded as a highly prestigious award by the musicians of that time, so much that even Mozart took the admission test to become an academic in 1770.

Accademia dell'Orchestra Mozart, born recently in 2005, in a few years it became a pole of attraction for Italian and foreign musicians: musical education is one of the main fields of operation. The Accademia is not only dedicated to a high level teaching but it is also a great opportunity to meet Maestros who related their experiences as teachers, conductors and soloists. The Accademia gives space to young talents, and the best students are invited to play in the Orchestra Mozart itself.  

The Conservatorio (Conservatoire) of Giovan Battista Martini offers a wide-ranging of study possibilities covering many centuries of history, from ancient music to the new musical technologies and languages. This has been the first musical public school in Italy and it had as students Rossini and Donizetti, now it is a school also open to international students.

Here are some musical events for you which will be held throughout the year in Bologna:

• Bologna Festival association every year held many musical events divided in different strands: “Grandi Interpreti” dedicated to classic music; “Talenti”, a space open to young european talents; “Il Nuovo Antico” which puts together ancient and contemporary music
• Opera and Ballet Season of the Municipal Theater, events of classical music spread during the various seasons each year
• Concerts of Orchestra Mozart, known worldwide because of the breathtaking concerts of the past 10 years
• Musical events of International museum and library of music of Bologna

If you want to know more about the cities in Emilia-Romagna and other tips as an international talents living in the region read other interesting articles here and join the it-ER Community!