Accademia Ducale – A Leading Italian Centre for Classical Music, Training, and Cultural Innovation
Accademia Ducale
Centro Studi Musicali
(Accademia Ducale Centre for Musical Studies)
The Accademia Ducale – Centre for Musical Studies, based in Basilicata, is an innovative cultural institution dedicated to the production, dissemination, and study of classical music. It is an active and dynamic organisation, admitted in 2021 to the FUS (Single Fund for the Performing Arts) of the Italian Ministry of Culture, and supported and sponsored by the country’s leading institutions in the sector. Partnerships with Italian and international bodies and institutions have enabled the Accademia over the years to broaden its horizons and collaborate on national and international cultural projects.
In 2022, the Accademia Ducale was awarded the Prix Asolapo Italia UNESCO – International Network of Women Philosophers “for excellence in the musical arts, for its commitment to teaching, and for fostering awareness and appreciation of music among young people and within society.” The Accademia Ducale operates in several fields: concert activity, education, advanced training, and research.
Our Locations
Pietragalla Headquarters
The Accademia Ducale – Centre for Musical Studies has its registered headquarters in Pietragalla, at the Ducal Palace, and its operational headquarters in Acerenza, at the former Episcopal Curia Palace. New locations are also set to open soon in Basilicata, in Palazzo San Gervasio and Satriano di Lucania, as well as abroad in Austria, Hungary, Peru, and Argentina.
Headquarters of Pietragalla – Palazzo Ducale
Pietragalla headquarters – Concert hall
Pietragalla Headquarters – Second Concert Hall
Pietragalla Headquarters – Office
Our locations
Acerenza headquarters
Acerenza headquarters – main entrance
Acerenza Headquarters – Concert Hall
Acerenza Branch – Renzo Cresti Library
Acerenza Headquarters – Offices
Acerenza Branch – Preparatory Music Classroom
Acerenza Headquarters – One of the classrooms
Concerts
The concert seasons offer the public the opportunity to experience classical music in an innovative way, often drawing on the interplay of different art forms and on storytelling. The musicians devote great attention to the audience, who are frequently involved actively in the listening experience: the pieces performed are not only played, but also narrated through information and anecdotes about their genesis, their composers, and the historical period in which they were written.
The Accademia Ducale Ensemble, with a flexible structure, is composed of musicians with extensive chamber and orchestral experience, whose training is further enriched by international artistic activity.
The artistic productions of the Accademia Ducale range from early music to sacred music, extending to more distinctly contemporary compositions and sound worlds. This demonstrates how musical language is not merely the result of stylistic evolution, but also the product of the socio‑cultural factors of the time in which it comes to life.
The Ensemble frequently presents world premieres, the result both of collaborations with contemporary composers who write specifically for the Accademia Ducale Ensemble, and of composition competitions periodically organised to encourage the creation and performance of new music. Among the composers who have written for the Ensemble are Maestro Andrea Talmelli, president of SIMC – the Italian Society for Contemporary Music; Maestro Gilberto Bosco, a renowned composer featured in the Treccani Encyclopedia; Maestro Damiano D’Ambrosio, an important composer of Lucanian origin; and Maestro Biagio Putignano, SIMC member and professor of composition at the “Piccinni” Conservatory in Bari.
In 2022, on the occasion of the fourth edition of the sacred‑music festival Sursum corda, the Accademia Ducale Ensemble will present the world premiere of a work composed for the event by Father Armando Pierucci, the celebrated composer and author of the Eucharistic Symphony, performed in several symbolic places around the world — among them the Garden of Gethsemane in Jerusalem on 22 September 2012 — and broadcast by TV2000 and many Christian television networks worldwide. The concert also featured our current Artistic Director, Maestro Giuseppe D’Amico, as double bassist.
Another important area of activity is the dissemination of Ibero‑American Baroque music, still largely unknown in Italy, thanks to significant collaborations with institutions and leading cultural figures from Latin America. In 2021, these partnerships made it possible to develop and present a dedicated repertoire at the Notti Sacre festival in Bari and at the Salento Organ Festival — a repertoire that continues to grow as research progresses in South American archives, particularly that of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.
The artistic programme presented throughout the various concert seasons has enabled us to reach a wide audience: in 2021, thirty‑three concerts were held, many of which sold out. At the same time, the programme brought significant media visibility, including a review by the renowned musicologist Renzo Cresti, who embraced our initiative to bring theatre—and culture as a whole—outside traditional circuits, into places and communities where institutional theatres are absent.
The very choice of working with an ensemble stems from the desire to bring music—“Music with a capital M,” as one of our loyal audience members once said—into squares and locations where it is usually difficult to present a classical repertoire or prominent names from the field. This is made possible through reductions and adaptations for small, flexible instrumental formations. Thanks to this approach, leading figures in the music world have accepted the challenge of collaborating with the Accademia Ducale Ensemble in creating chamber reductions of major works, with the shared intention of reaching areas where theatres are distant or non‑existent. Among these artists are Maestro Shlomo Mintz, internationally acclaimed violinist regarded by colleagues as one of the finest of our time; Maestro Thierry Barbé, principal double bass of the Opéra National de Paris; and Maestro Luca Ciammarughi, pianist, music critic, musicologist, and classical‑music radio host.
One of the annual events born within the broader programme of Matera European Capital of Culture 2019 is Open Opera – Pietragalla (theatre of giving and sharing), a community project that unfolds over an entire day and combines the discovery of the local territory with a different musical proposal each year. The event’s motto, “taste the territory and nourish the spirit,” aims to create an attraction capable, on one hand, of intriguing visitors and encouraging them to explore the town, and on the other, of offering both residents and visitors from neighbouring regions a rich and diverse cultural experience. The concert serves as the final moment of a journey that leads the audience through the beauty of the area, introduces them to local traditions and cuisine, and culminates in an artistic performance.
The 2021 concert season received coverage from prestigious music magazines such as Suonare News (December 2021) and Amadeus (January 2022), which featured an article by Prof. Renzo Cresti—renowned musicologist, critic, collaborator of the Accademia Ducale, and distinguished guest on several episodes of our Web TV. Extensive attention to the concert season and to the Accademia’s activities also appeared in an article published in Il Giornale della Musica in December 2021.
In recent years, our activities have attracted the interest of national magazines (Artribune), regional broadcasters (TGR Basilicata, La Nuova TV), and have been shared across the channels of major institutions with which the Accademia Ducale collaborates (SIMC, CIDIM, Conservatories, RadioCEMAT, and others).
Teaching
The educational activities are overseen by the “Mons. Corrado Ursi” Institute of Music, managed by the Accademia Ducale, and carried out in partnership with the “C. Gesualdo da Venosa” Conservatory of Music in Potenza. The Institute offers music courses for students of all ages, starting from three years old. The study programme is structured into three educational levels—introductory, regular, and advanced—aimed at obtaining an academic qualification.
There are also courses designed for music enthusiasts of all ages, with personalised programmes for young people and adults. The teachers employ innovative teaching methods, focusing on the comprehensive development of students, whom they follow with passion and dedication. Courses are offered both in person and online.
Students of the Accademia are given continuous opportunities for interaction, both with their peers and with the teachers, with whom they often perform in ensembles during recitals, performances, and concerts. The Accademia Ducale collaborates with schools on projects involving introductory music education, music workshops, and lecture‑concerts, with the aim of fostering musical awareness among children and developing their cognitive and relational skills.
Since 2020, the Accademia Ducale has been an authorised examination centre for CILS – Certification of Italian as a Foreign Language, in partnership with the University for Foreigners of Siena. Upon passing the exam, candidates receive an official certification of Italian language proficiency, structured across six levels:
CILS Level A1, CILS Level A2, CILS Uno‑B1, CILS Due‑B2, CILS Tre‑C1, CILS Quattro‑C2.
Sacred music
The course for Liturgical Music Operators is held under the patronage of the Archdiocese of Acerenza, with which it collaborates in liturgical‑musical training, and under the Patronage of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome—one of the few institutions in Southern Italy to have been granted such recognition. The course provides a qualifying pathway for those who wish to work in the liturgical field with professionalism and competence.
Participants in the course have already animated solemn liturgical celebrations, diaconal and priestly ordinations, also together with the Accademia Ducale Ensemble, in various dioceses of Basilicata. In June 2019, they animated the Holy Mass in the Cathedral of Matera, celebrated by Archbishop Mons. Antonio Giuseppe Caiazzo together with Mons. José Tolentino Mendonça, Archivist and Librarian of the Holy Roman Church, on the occasion of the national MEIC (Ecclesial Movement for Cultural Commitment) conference “Matera Beauty Experience”, held in the City of the Sassi from 31 May to 2 June. For the occasion, several musicians of the Accademia Ducale offered musical interludes to the conference participants.
Musical Animation of Holy Mass at the Cathedral of Acerenza.
Higher education
Masterclass with Mons. De Gregorio, Dean of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music
The Accademia offers advanced training courses with renowned experts, at the end of which participants receive certificates of attendance. Since its foundation, the Accademia Ducale has organised study days and masterclasses led by distinguished lecturers.
Over the years, the Accademia has held masterclasses and advanced training courses with eminent specialists, including: Mons. Vincenzo De Gregorio, Dean of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music and consultant for sacred music at the National Liturgical Office of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, with the masterclass on liturgical music A musica vox Dei; Don Franco Magnani, Director of the National Liturgical Office of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, with the masterclass Exultet; Maestro Lorenzo Colitto, internationally renowned violinist, teacher and concert artist, with the masterclass Baroque Music for String Instruments; Prof. Maria Antonietta Cancellaro, musicologist and harpsichordist, professor of Music History and Aesthetics at the E.R. Duni Conservatory in Matera, scholar of Renaissance and Baroque music and Director of the Matera Conservatory from 2005 to 2008; Don Domenico Beneventi, professor of Pastoral Theology at the Theological Institute of the Interdiocesan Major Seminary of Basilicata, researcher and expert in Media Education; Mons. Giuseppe Greco, theologian and philosopher, with the masterclass Stabat Mater, concluded with a final concert performed by the musicians of the Accademia Ducale and repeated in several venues.
A masterclass with Mons. De Gregorio, Dean of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, also included the musical animation of Holy Mass at the Cathedral of Acerenza, performed by the Accademia Ducale Junior Choir and Ensemble.
In 2021, the orchestral training course SUONINSIEME was held for teachers, led by Maestro Simone Genuini, founder and director of the Juniorchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, a long‑standing expert in youth orchestras and author of the recently published book Giochi d’orchestra, the first volume of a new series dedicated to music education by the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in co‑edition with Edizioni Curci. The course aims to reflect on methodologies of orchestral practice and ensemble music‑making, understood as an indispensable educational and learning tool.
In 2021, the orchestral training course SUONINSIEME was held for teachers, led by Maestro Simone Genuini, founder and director of the Juniorchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, a long‑standing expert in youth orchestras and author of the recently published book Giochi d’orchestra, the first volume of a new series on music education produced by the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in co‑edition with Edizioni Curci. The course aims to encourage reflection on methodologies in orchestral practice and ensemble music‑making, understood as indispensable tools for musical education and learning.
Orchestral Training Course with Maestro Simone Genuini
Research
The Research Centre of the Accademia is dedicated to the study, enhancement, and dissemination of Italian and international musical heritage, embracing both early music and contemporary music — to which the Accademia devotes particular attention — as well as the rediscovery of lesser‑known and rarely performed composers. One of the key areas of research in early music is the revival of Ibero‑American Baroque, a musical language that served as a tool of evangelisation among the peoples of Latin America and that also influenced the architectural style of sacred buildings.
To explore this field more deeply, the Accademia Ducale has established collaborations with eminent figures in the musical, architectural, and cultural spheres of Peru, and has forged a partnership with the Association of Lucanians in Peru, with the aim of creating a bridge between Italy and the Americas.
The results of the research carried out so far have been presented to the public during the concert seasons and subsequently shared through the Accademia Ducale Web TV, with thematic episodes and distinguished guests.
Orchestral training course with Maestro Simone Genuini.
Web TV and Record Label
WEB TV
The Web TV of the Accademia Ducale – Centre for Musical Studies, launched in 2020, is a project conceived by Maestro Giuseppe D’Amico, Artistic Director of the Accademia Ducale. Its aim is to disseminate the results of the research carried out by the Accademia’s Study Centre and to promote public education on topics related to classical music, offering listening guides to the concerts featured in our concert seasons. More than fifty episodes have been produced, some of them in collaboration with SIMC – the Italian Society for Contemporary Music, and they have attracted a wide following.
The various episodes have hosted eminent Italian and international figures in the fields of music and musicology: composers, conductors, leading cultural personalities, directors of conservatories and academies, the Dean of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music, the President of SIMC, and the Director of the Music Chapel of the Cathedral of Lima.
RECORD LABEL
Accademia Ducale Productions is the name of the Accademia Ducale’s forthcoming record label. The first recording project currently underway is the production of a CD, now in the process of being recorded, which will feature two works: Muzio Clementi’s arrangement of W.A. Mozart’s Symphony No. 40, and the arrangement by our Artistic Director, Giuseppe D’Amico, of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A major, K. 622. Both works are performed by the Accademia Ducale Ensemble. Creating instrumental‑ensemble reductions of major classical masterpieces is one of our defining pillars.