Accademia Vivaldi Advanced courses on the interpretation of Antonio Vivaldi’s music
The Vivaldi Academy courses will continue in 2026: five in-depth meetings on the performance practice of Antonio Vivaldi’s compositions, each lasting three to four days, dedicated to young singers and instrumentalists. This season will feature courses in singing (church vocal music, chamber vocal music, musical dramas) and basso continuo performance. A maximum of ten selected students will be admitted to the courses, who will have the opportunity not only to perfect their interpretation skills, but also to explore the musicological aspects of the compositions studied.
Each meeting will be enriched by in-depth presentations by musicologists who collaborate with the Institute and those who are part of the research group La drammaturgia musicale a Venezia (1678–1792) (Musical Dramaturgy in Venice (1678–1792)) of the Ugo and Olga Levi Foundation, with the aim of integrating performance practice with the most up-to-date historical and critical studies.
The course, led by maestro Antonio Frigé and aimed at “basso continuo” instrumentalists (harpsichordists, organists, lutenists, harpists, etc.), will focus on the realisation of the bass in Vivaldi’s compositions and era, with particular attention to the harmonisation of Vivaldi’s recitatives in the opera Il Tito Manlio, RV 738.
The lectures and concerts organised as part of the Academy will be open to the public. Each course consists of three to five days of intensive study, comprising individual lessons and group discussions, and is open to a limited number of participants selected from the applications received. Please refer to the call for applications for details of admission requirements, deadlines and how to apply.
program
25 — 27 March 2026
Advanced course dedicated to basso continuo, led by harpsichordist Antonio Frigé.
The course will focus on the practice of basso continuo realization in compositions from Vivaldi’s time, with particular attention to the harmonization of the recitatives from the opera Tito Manlio, RV 738.
14 — 18 April 2026
Advanced course dedicated to singing, led by soprano Gemma Bertagnolli.
Friday, 17 April, 6:00 PM
“Mario Messinis” Library, “B. Marcello” Conservatory of Venice
Singers, virtuosas and virtuosos in Venetian churches, ospedali, and theatres. The musical collections of the “Mario Messinis” Library of the Venice Conservatory.
Seminar curated by Paolo Da Col and Silvia Urbani within the Conservatory library. A selection of musical manuscripts once belonging to singers and musicians associated with Venetian ospedali and theatres during the first half of the eighteenth century will be presented, with particular attention to the musicians who collaborated with Vivaldi.
The seminar, organized by Professor Giada Viviani, coordinator of the research group of the Fondazione Ugo e Olga Levi, Musical Dramaturgy in Venice (1678–1792), is conceived as an educational activity for the students of the Accademia Vivaldi, though participation is open to the public (reservation required due to limited seating).
Free admission upon reservation. Please write to: [email protected]
19 — 23 May 2026
Advanced course dedicated to singing, led by soprano Gemma Bertagnolli.
Thursday, 21 May, 6:00 PM
Lecture by Giulia Giovani (University of Siena) on the dramma per musica Scanderbeg, RV 732.
In 1718, the opera Scanderbeg (RV 732), by Antonio Salvi and Antonio Vivaldi, was performed at the Teatro della Pergola in Florence and later staged again at the Public Theatre of Siena. Although the score has survived only in a severely incomplete form, it is still possible to trace the work through musical, textual, and documentary sources, allowing a detailed exploration of the libretto and score, the productions, the expenses incurred, and the professional and personal dynamics connected to the staging of the opera. Situated within the cultural and political context of the final years of Medici patronage, Scanderbeg represents an exemplary case for understanding the complex network of relationships between artists and society, centered around the appreciation of the “bizarrie” of Vivaldi’s score.
The lecture, organized by Professor Giada Viviani, coordinator of the research group of the Fondazione Ugo e Olga Levi, Musical Dramaturgy in Venice (1678–1792), is intended for the students of the Accademia Vivaldi, though participation is open to the public (Venice – “Gianni Milner” Library – free admission subject to availability).
30 June — 4 July 2026
2 July, 6:00 PM – Sala del Chiostro dei Cipressi
The End of the Virtuosi: Notes on the Final Years of Singers Connected with Venice in the Mid-Eighteenth Century
Lecture
Giovanni Polin (“A. Steffani” Conservatory of Castelfranco Veneto / Fondazione Ugo e Olga Levi)
What happened during the final years of the lives of virtuosi and virtuosas?
Through a number of exemplary case studies, Professor Giovanni Polin will illustrate the last years of the careers of singers active in the mid-eighteenth century who were connected with Venice and the “Red Priest” (Antonio Vivaldi).
3 July , 6:30 PM – Auditorium “Lo Squero”
Final Concert of the Accademia Vivaldi
The final concert of this masterclass (June 30 – July 4), led by soprano Gemma Bertagnolli, presents a musical journey focused on the representation of old age in the eighteenth century, a period in which improved living conditions led to a gradual increase in life expectancy and to a new perception of advanced age.
This social transformation directly influenced musical theatre. Whereas in the seventeenth century elderly characters — especially female ones — were often confined to comic and grotesque roles, in the eighteenth century these figures acquired greater dignity and more complex functions within the plot. Vivaldi’s operas offer an ideal perspective from which to observe this evolution during the first half of the century. The concert program will highlight the various types of elderly characters performed by the students, exploring their vocal roles, gender differences, and the dynamics of intergenerational relationships.
The concert will be preceded by a lecture by Professor Giada Viviani, coordinator of the research group Musical Dramaturgy in Venice (1678–1792) of the Fondazione Ugo e Olga Levi, entitled: Ages in Dialogue: Elderly Characters and Intergenerational Relationships in Vivaldi’s Operas.
Vivaldi’s operas do not portray elderly people as fragile or rigid figures, but rather as central characters embodying wisdom, conflict, and reconciliation, encouraging a profound intergenerational dialogue with younger characters.
Giada Viviani (University of Genoa / Fondazione Ugo e Olga Levi)
24 — 28 November 2026
Masterclass dedicated to singing
Teacher: Gemma Bertagnolli
