Professione Orchestra: students describe their hands-on training experience

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.

Professione Orchestra Borsisti ph Piuluce

COMMENTS FROM STUDENTS OF PROFESSIONE ORCHESTRA 2024/25

(section being updated)

“Esperienza formativa e appagante. Bellissimo lo scambio di opinioni e il confronto con gli altri ragazzi. Preziosi i consigli del M° Magariello, che ci ha guidati per una settimana dandoci spunti e riflessioni. Mi sento arricchito tecnicamente e umanamente. Ripeterei il workshop altre 10 volte!”
Simone Donnarumma

 

“In generale, posso dire che la partecipazione a questo workshop mi ha stupita. Pensavo già che sarebbe stata utile formativamente e artisticamente, ma non credevo potesse offrirmi così tanti spunti di riflessione e idee musicali e personali per il futuro. Vi ringrazio perché questo piccolo percorso ha aggiunto un tassello alla mia formazione e mi ha permesso di conoscere un grande Maestro e diversi ragazzi talentuosi che mi hanno ispirata e spronata, e coi quali ho scoperto di condividere di più che la semplice passione per la musica. Condividiamo un modo di vivere, di pensare, di agire attraverso le sfide che decidiamo ogni giorno di affrontare per noi stessi, e questa è stata una di quelle!”
Claudia Lou Prati 

 

“Grazie alla professionalità e competenza dei docenti, ho avuto l’opportunità di arricchire le mie conoscenze e abilità musicali in modo significativo. Il corso è stato estremamente stimolante e coinvolgente, e l’ambiente accogliente dell’Accademia ha reso l’esperienza particolarmente piacevole. Spero di avere l’occasione di partecipare ad altri corsi o eventi futuri da voi organizzati, e non esiterò a consigliare i vostri programmi ad altri appassionati di musica”.
Lavinia Neri

 

“Un ambiente musicale di alto livello, insegnanti super competenti grazie alla loro tanta esperienza e altrettanto gentili nei confronti di tutti gli allievi, anche di coloro non appartenenti alla rispettiva classe”.
CPN

 

Professione Orchestra è uno di quei progetti che all’inizio possono spaventarti, ma una volta intrapreso il percorso non puoi che esserne felice. I Maestri sono persone splendide che capiscono ogni nostro timore, in quanto li hanno provati prima di noi. Non giudicano mai e anzi, fanno di tutto per metterti a tuo agio e insegnarti il loro sapere nel migliore dei modi. Una volta concluso il percorso, vi sentirete migliorati, sia come persone che come artisti. Fare l’audizione sul palco dell’Auditorium RAI è un’emozione indimenticabile”.

 

Professione Orchestra è veramente un’occasione da non perdere per noi giovani musicisti che inseguiamo l’obiettivo di diventare professori d’orchestra. Il corso è stato coinvolgente sotto tutti i punti di vista, fondamentale per la formazione e per la preparazione di un’audizione con veri professionisti del settore”.

 

Professione Orchestra è una masterclass strumentale che avvicina al mondo dell’orchestra, con i suoi aspetti musicali e professionali: essere orchestrale non significa semplicemente saper suonare ma anche saper affrontare stress, organizzazione, precisione sul campo. La consiglio a chi, provenendo dal mondo degli studi – ormai poco vicini alla pratica della professione di musicista – vuole poter dare uno sguardo a cosa significhi suonare come musicista in orchestra.

 

“Questo corso è stato una vera spinta motivazionale in un momento difficile per me e il mio rapporto con lo strumento. Mi ha permesso di aprire nuovi orizzonti, sia dal punto di vista musicale che personale. Ho avuto l’opportunità di conoscere musicisti di altissimo livello e confrontarmi con docenti straordinari, il che ha reso l’esperienza davvero arricchente”.

 

COMMENTS FROM STUDENTS OF PROFESSIONE ORCHESTRA 2023/24

(Comments are taken from anonymous questionnaires)

 

“Esperienza stimolante, professionisti di livello altissimo che non solo riescono a trasmettere il loro sapere artistico con grande professionalità, ma con la loro empatia, simpatia e umanità, rendono le lezioni vivaci, ricche di curiosità e chicche utili a chi intende svolgere la professione dell’orchestrale. Consiglio a tutti coloro che si apprestano a diventare concorsisti di frequentare la masterclass nel pieno dei loro studi musicali perchè permette di avere un approccio reale su ciò che è richiesto durante un’audizione (dalla postura sino alla tecnica e al repertorio)”.

 

“Professione Orchestra è un’immersione nel mondo delle audizioni, ottimo per chi vuole intraprendere una carriera orchestrale. Stimolante e formativa”.

 

“Bellissima esperienza di lavoro intenso e crescita tecnica e musicale. Approfondimento del repertorio sia nella settimana di masterclass, che nella seconda parte del progetto, tra prove orchestrali e lezioni con il docente. Una bella finestra su una realtà orchestrale di alto livello”.

 

“Professione Orchestra è stato un percorso che mi ha arricchito artisticamente e umanamente, grazie soprattutto all’immensa professionalità e disponibilità dei Maestri Zoli e Bartezzati. Un’esperienza formativa fondamentale per la preparazione ai concorsi e alla vita in orchestra”.

 

“Una preziosa esperienza di crescita musicale e confronto. Formazione di alto livello con i Maestri della OSN RAI”.

 

professione orchestra 2023 2024 ph Sergio Bertani

 

 

COMMENTS FROM STUDENTS OF “PROFESSIONE ORCHESTRA 2022”

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.

 

 

 

 

COMMENTS FROM PAST STUDENTS OF “PROFESSIONE ORCHESTRA”

“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 
 

 

Professione Orchestra, il percorso formativo professionalizzante dedicato ai futuri professori d’orchestra

 

“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

 

“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

    professione orchestra musica da camera con Lucchesini    

“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

 

masterclass di musica da camera di Lukas Hagen

 
“Being involved in the rehearsals of the OSN orchestra is a high quality professional experience, as it enables the scholarship holders to acquire practical know-how “on-the-job” and play side by side with orchestra professionals. The course also gave me the opportunity to get to know and to study with exceptional musicians like the section leaders of the Orchestra, from whom I learnt so much. I believe that the Professione Orchestra course is a vital learning opportunity for anyone aiming to make orchestra music their career and I sincerely hope that the course will be held again when the Covid-19 emergency is over”.
Alessandro Defonte
 

“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

 

“Professione Orchestra is an extremely interesting project. For me this experience was very positive because I was able to get to know great professional musicians whom I had always regarded as leaders in their field. I got the benefit of their invaluable advice, as well as taking part in the orchestra rehearsals. It was a unique and exciting experience!”
Alessandro Crescimbeni
 
 
“An amazing experience, to work side by side with maestros like Zoli and Romano. Thanks to their teaching I improved my playing style, as well as the way I approach an audition/competition. I would recommend this experience to anyone who wants to embark on this career”.
Benedetto Raimondi
 
INFO:
  • 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
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