Many young musicians under 30 dream of playing in an orchestra and the practical “on-the-job” training of the Professione Orchestra project offers them a valuable opportunity to learn about the reality of this profession. The course consists of classroom lessons (both in instrument, with the section leaders of the RAI Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale, and in chamber music, with the teachers of international renown on the staff of our Accademia), as well as giving the students the experience of taking part in rehearsals for the programmes of the RAI concert season, playing alongside the members of the RAI orchestra.
40% of students who have attended Professione Orchestra in past years have already obtained excellent results in competitions for places in orchestras in Italy and abroad, while 20% are now working permanently with prestigious orchestras: this is clear proof that our teaching approach is effective. Three key features of this approach are the direct one-on-one guidance from the teacher, enabling the student to improve their instrument skills; practical training in preparing for a professional audition; and the rehearsals with the orchestra, which teach the students the professional discipline and behaviour required of an orchestra member and the different approaches to adopt in the endlessly varied situations (involving music technique and expressivity) arising from each programme of music.
What do our students think? Below you will find comments from students who have taken part in the Professione Orchestra project in past years.
The week of Professione Orchestra workshops was a great training experience. It enabled me to extend my knowledge of music culture and performance and gave me valuable ideas on how to prepare for competitions for orchestra places. It was also a great opportunity to get to know and share experiences with other young musicians. Maestro Milani turned out to be a wonderful person on a human level, so he created an atmosphere of serenity in the lessons. He taught me so much, about technique and interpretation, giving me helpful advice for studying orchestra repertoire. I would like to repeat this experience 100 times more!
Flavia Fazi
It was a really intense week where you were experiencing music and working with musicians at the highest level
Corengia Ivailo
What was my experience of the Professione Orchestra course? It was intense, living and breathing in an atmosphere that was perfect to help me grow as a performer and musician. During this intense week, the fact that you are under the guidance of the section leaders of the RAI Orchestra means, of course, that you are given excellent instruction and advice, on all facets of your instrument. This enables you to make considerable progress and, most importantly, gives you that extra edge of confidence when facing auditions and competitions.
Davide Paludi
An absolutely positive experience. The organisation of the course was perfect, The staff so welcoming and ready to help with anything you needed. The teachers were fantastic and there was also the really helpful experience of a simulated audition.
Excellent experience, perfect organisation. The group of participants was very friendly, the Accademia di Musica splendid. Of all the master’s courses I’ve attended, this was the one where I felt that I was truly living and breathing music.
An intense experience that helped me to improve and was a great stimulus. This is the first step you should take if you want to study music at a very advanced level.
The Professione Orchestra workshop was a wonderful experience, starting from the setting: Pinerolo is a magical place. You find yourself living in a completely different atmosphere, which is really a great help, especially mentally. The teachers, above all my teacher Maestro Barletta, are absolutely brilliant: apart from being section leaders in a prestigious orchestra, they are first and foremost wonderful human beings. The atmosphere is calm and tranquil, which enables you to play better and learn much more. I learnt things that have really helped me to grow as a professional musician.The simulated audition at the end of the course was absolutely fundamental in enabling me to understand what I still have to work on and what I do well. For me, the whole course gave me the motivation I was needing. Thank you for this excellent Masterclass.
The Professione Orchestra course can be seen as a kind of transition experience between the life of a music student and that of a professional musician. Just as other university degree courses offer internships, this project offers you the opportunity to come into contact with the day-to-day reality of working in an orchestra (which currently is quite different from the experiences you have while studying), and to have personal and practical experience of what it means to work in this profession.
“This was an experience that enabled me to grow both as an artist and as a person. The lessons I had with Maestro Luca Milani were fundamental for me to improve my method of studying and to perfect key aspects of performance. The audition simulation held in the Auditorium Toscanini was an unforgettable experience. It gave me the opportunity to put into practice everything I had learnt during the course, on the stage of one of the finest concert halls in Italy. The non-instrumental lessons given by the professinal musicians were very interesting and stimulating. I would strongly recommend this course to all musicians interested in entering the world of orchestra.”
An experience of advanced music training that taught me so much, not only from the point of view of technique and musical knowledge, but also on a human level. It gave me the opportunity to have direct contact with and learn from exceptional Maestros, as well as sharing my personal experiences and forming friendships with other young musicians participating in the course.
“The Professione Orchestra course was like walking into an artisan’s workshop and, step by step, learning about the day-to-day work of the members of an orchestra. It was a very rewarding experience: I found myself in an intensely stimulating environment where I learnt an effective approach to studying my instrument”.
Francesco Di Gioia
“Professione Orchestra was truly an experience that will remain in my heart forever. I was studying with great musicians and playing beside them in rehearsals: absolutely unique opportunities. The course filled me with energy and inspiration and has stimulated me to study harder to realize my dreams as a musician. I hope this project will continue in the future to give other young people like me the opportunity to learn this profession, alongside some of the best musicians in Italy and in Europe”.
Giovanni Giardinella
“The Professione Orchestra course was an excellent opportunity to learn more about music and to grow, in an incredibly stimulating environment! Apart from the practical lessons, I found that the fundamental element was the one-on-one dialogue with the orchestra member who worked with us during that week: I was able to ask them a thousand questions and was given a thousand answers, each one more interesting than the one before.”.
Erika Patrucco
“The Professione Orchestra course was an invaluable, exciting experience and, above all, a learning opportunity. I had the chance to play wonderful concert programmes with the RAI Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale, performing alongside brilliant musicians, directed by eminent conductors: electrifying experiences that make you grow as a musician. And then there were the chamber music lessons with Lukas Hagen and Andrea Lucchesini, which helped me to develop and refine my interpretation and empathetic listening. And it’s certainly not everyday that you find yourself sharing a stage with soloists like Martha Argerich!”
Dario Triscari
“For me the Professione Orchestra course was an excellent opportunity to enter the world of the RAI Symphony Orchestra and to create a network of useful contacts with the musicians there. It also gave me the chance to really work on the orchestra excerpts and to have the challenging experience of the end-of-course audition simulation, where I played before a distinguished panel of judges. I really hope to be able to take part in the project again”.
Federica Severini
“The Professione Orchestra course combines learning about the profession of an orchestra member with top level chamber music lessons: the aim is to give young musicians a wide ranging and complete vision of the work involved in playing music together. The course is well structured and is definitely a valuable aid to the training of young instrumentalists who are starting out on a career in the world of music”.
Alessandro Guaitolini
“Professione Orchestra: this name is not adequate to describe this experience. Because, apart from lessons with the section leaders and chamber music lessons, the course gives you the opportunity to really live the life of a member of an orchestra. Playing in the rehearsals of the RAI National Orchestra gives you so much: a sense of responsibility, music training, incredible stimulation and intense feelings of satisfaction and achievement”.
Salvatore Di Meo
“The Professione Orchestra course was an opportunity to have real contact with one of the most prestigious working environments for a professional musician (the RAI orchestra), but in an atmosphere that was welcoming, cooperative and stimulating. The training in performance (thanks to the great help from external specialists) was the core theme throughout the course and everything that we studied, giving us the skills that are absolutely crucial for all musicians when, in any audition or competition, we have to present ourselves at our best in just a few minutes!”
Roberta Nobile
“I have great memories of this learning experience. A well organized masterclass that brought me into contact with the exceptional musicians and orchestra professionals of the RAI OSN. I found the daily lessons stimulated my interest in studying and concentrating on specific aspects of music. At the end of the course we were all given the opportunity to play in an audtion simulation: this meant we were able to put into practice all the work we had done during the lessons and to perform in front of a panel of top professionals”.
Giulia Zoppelli
“This was an amazing experience because we were able to study in depth the pieces specifically requested in auditions, including orchestra excerpts and solo concertos. All this under the guidance of musicians of the highest calibre, the members of the RAI Orchestra. It was certainly an honour and also an incredible opportunity to work with teachers of this level. We also attended (in small groups) lessons in the Alexander technique. I would recommend this course to anyone who wants to find out what it really means to work in an orchestra!”
Chiara Cevales
“This was one of the best experiences in music training that I have ever had. I had the opportunity to work with two maestros, who are not only brilliant musicians and orchestra professionals but also two wonderful human beings: Maestros Zoli and Romano. I owe them so many thanks for all that they taught me. For me the Professione Orchestra course was an excellent opportunity to grow as a musician, perfect in fact for anyone who wants to play in an orchestra in the future. The best moment was performing on stage in the A. Toscanini Auditorium”.
Luca Bennardo
“I have taken part in the annual Professione Orchestra project several times, and every year I have seen that the experience enabled me to mature as a person and musician. I never managed to win a scholarship, but this does not mean that I didn’t gain something and I always came away with more musical knowledge than I had before”.
Giulio Rappa
- Find out the dates of the next window for applications here
- For any further inquiries e-mail us at segreteria@accademiadimusica.
it - Have you been a student at Professione Orchestra? Send us your comment. Write to paola.bologna@accademiadimusica.it
