In 1839 Piacenza’s Music School was officially founded by “Deputazione del Teatro Comunicativo” (The Executive Committe of the local Theatre). Starting from 1845 the Music School was located in the Convent of Saint Augustin. In 1865 it transferred to the former ancient seclusion monastery situated in the Santa Franca district, where it still is located today.
 

In 1900 Piacenza’s Music School became the City’s Music Institution, by separating from the local Theatre, and in 1933 it evolved into the “Giuseppe Nicolini” Musical High School, alligned to the State Conservatories.
Thanks to the Bill of Law n. 663, in 1977, it was finally acknowledged as a State Conservatory.

 

Following the Law Reform n. 508/99 and its further bills, the Nicolini Conservatory has been recognised as a High Ranking Musical Academy and included in Alta Formazione Artistica e Musicale-AFAM (the Higher Artistic and Musical Studies Department). The Nicolini Conservatory is a primary centre of higher education, postgraduate qualification and research in art and music and is dedicated to artistic production as well.

 

As such it has acquired statutory autonomy, and alongside the orderly study courses, it has engaged in the new first-level three-year courses (Bachelor’s) and the second level two-year courses (Master’s) permitting to acquire the equivalent academic degrees of the three-year (Bachelors’s) and Master’s Degrees.

 

Active training production and artistic-musical research centre, the “Giuseppe Nicolini” Conservatory welcomes about 600 Italian, European and non-European students on it premises, and, thanks to the high quality of its present teaching staff, represents the core of Piacenza’s cultural live, collaborating with Piacenza’s Theatral Foundation in the realisation of Chamber Music, Symphonic Concerts and Opera productions.

By paying particular attention to professional training in Masterclasses and seminars, the Nicolini Conservatory strives towards student’s working placement and promotes the creation of ensembles and composite musical groups ranging from Baroque to Jazz.
The new library combines its regular educational role with the conservation of valuable historical collections, often consulted by Italian and foreign scholars, while the presence of a professional multimedia laboratory dedicated to recording, digital editing and audio post-production, constantly developed and updated, has led to the launch of academic courses related to the new IT methodologies.