CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC “A. BOITO”

The Conservatory of Music “Arrigo Boito” in Parma, one of the most important academic music centers in Italy and Europe, originated in the Convent of the Carmine, where in 1818 Duchess Maria Luigia established a music school for orphans.

In 1825, the institution formally evolved into a Conservatory, adding instrumental and composition training to vocal teaching. In 1888, thanks to the efforts of Mayor Giovanni Mariotti and the support of Giuseppe Verdi, it became a state institution, thus opening broader horizons in the musical panorama. In 1919, it assumed its current name in honor of Arrigo Boito, the famous composer and librettist who served as its director between 1889 and 1897.

Today the Conservatory boasts prestigious and functional facilities, including the Sala Verdi, created in the 18th-century refectory, and the Auditorium del Carmine, housed in the deconsecrated church and adapted as a conference and concert hall with around 284 seats. The complex also includes libraries, archives, a media library, and historical museums such as the Toscanini Studio, the Boito Studio, and collections of ancient instruments.

The institution is also distinguished by a solid educational offering across multiple levels: with 700 – 1000 students enrolled each year, it provides preparatory courses, three-year and two-year academic programs, master’s degrees, instrumental and composition workshops, as well as programs in classical, jazz, and pop-rock music. Among its performance-related initiatives, numerous masterclasses (for piano, conducting, chamber music, singing, and jazz) are particularly noteworthy, along with the renowned summer festival “Note d’Estate”.


For more information and bookings, please contact:
– Tel. +39 0521 381911
– E-mail: cmparma@conservatorio.pr.it
– Website: https://www.conservatorio.pr.it/en/contatti/