An enthusiastic audience welcomed our founder Andrea Bocelli and the many artists present, including Renato Zero.
Built in less than 150 days, thanks to the funds raised and the oversight of the Andrea Bocelli Foundation (ABF), the inauguration of the Academy marks the beginning of an empowerment process for the 160 students and their community
Camerino (MC), October 1, 2020 – Camerino begins again with music. And it did so in great style, with the voice of our founder ABF on stage together with Renato Zero, Marco Masini, Serena Autieri, Giovanni Caccamo, Andrea Griminelli, Anastasija Petryshak, Andrea Paris, Carlo Bernini and Ilaria della Bidia.
After the schools in Sarnano and Muccia, the third project from the Andrea Bocelli Foundation in the crater of the 2016 earthquake has also come to a close. Just under 2 million in investment for another philanthropic challenge: to complete it in less than 150 days of construction, despite the complexity of a year marked by lockdown.
With the Extraordinary Commissioner, Giovanni Legnini, the Foundation’s top management, national and regional authorities, and the Mayor, Sandro Sborgia, all in attendance, the building was officially handed over to the community of this university town in the heart of the Marche region, which can now count on a fitting Home of Music. The Academy, an educational and artistic hub that is worthy of the noble tradition that has distinguished the cultural life of Camerino for centuries, will also become a campus for Fermo Conservatory.
Andrea Bocelli, Founder of the Andrea Bocelli Foundation, said, “I am proud of this important moment for the city of Camerino. It is my hope that the new Music Academy will provide strong encouragement to a community that has suffered greatly. A moment of hope and beginning anew, first and foremost, for the 160 students who will attend this school from next week and enjoy the beauty of music”.
Together with Veronica Berti (ABF Vice-Chair) and Laura Biancalani (ABF President), ABF Chair, Stefano Aversa, also spoke of his satisfaction that they had fulfilled their commitment to a community historically linked to art, music and beauty: a cultural and artistic center with a university tradition that goes back almost 700 years.
Due to the current safety regulations, the inauguration of the special classrooms took place in the morning for a few close friends of the foundation: from the classroom dedicated to Renato Zero for his 70th birthday, “Zero Settanta”, to the classroom named after the famous songwriter and lyricist Giancarlo Bigazzi, and the “kindergarten” classroom where children can become acquainted with the art of sound through a series of musical workshops.
At 3.30 pm, in compliance with safety regulations and projected on the big screen, the inauguration ceremony of the new building took place in the space across from the Academy: a home of music spanning over 700 m2 for 160 students, which features a modern, bright and appealing construction (designed by the Alvisi Kirimoto architectural studio along with Harcome), built by ABF on land provided by the municipal administration, located in front of the new university campus.
After the ribbon cutting, the Maestro’s concert took place together with the guests in attendance, accompanied by the 40 young instrumentalists from the Academy’s Wind Orchestra. A riotous applause followed Andrea Bocelli’s performance of the aria “Ah, tout est bien finí… Ô, Souverain” from “Le Cid” by Massenet, a song imbued with intense spirituality and great emotion. Performances by the flutist Andrea Griminelli, singer and actress Serena Autieri, and violinist Anastasiya Petryshak, accompanied by Carlo Bernini on the piano, were also warmly welcomed. The great finale saw Renato Zero, Marco Masini, Giovanni Caccamo and Ilaria della Bidia taking to the stage to join their contemporaries to sing “Con te partirò”, and, to close, the voice of our founder who sang Puccini’s well-known “Nessun dorma”.
At Andrea Bocelli’s behest, the new Academy was named after Franco Corelli – the great Marche-born tenor who was Bocelli’s maestro and friend – and it will play a key role in education and music production, to the benefit of the local community, and beyond.
With ABF’s direct intervention, the project was achieved together with the Special Commissioner for Reconstruction from the Italian Government, the Regional School Office (URS) of the Marche region, and the Municipality of Camerino, thus embodying a virtuous example of cooperation between the public and private spheres: when we unite forces, we can achieve results that are extremely beneficial for society as a whole, capable of providing solutions to binding problems and important perspectives for the future.
Built on two floors, the Franco Corelli Academy feature a stylized visual allusion to the unique “keys” of wind instruments in its series of openings to the exterior. The 10 themed classrooms and the auditorium have been designed with meticulous attention paid to the concept of balanced spaces and a cheerful feel that can also be seen in the color choices.
The new building in Camerino attests to the central role of art (and music in particular) within ABF’s educational projects, and fully conveys the Foundation’s mission: “Empowering People and Communities”. Almost a decade after it was established, the Foundation is increasingly recognized internationally as a community leader.
The new Camerino Music Academy was built also thanks to the donations raised during the 2019 “With You, For a New Beginning” SMS solidarity campaign and was able to count on a series of precious partners: The Fondazione De Agostini, Poligrafici Editoriale, the Celebrity Fight Night Foundation, the Associazione Adesso Musica, the PSC Group, Subissati, The Senate of the Republic, Fabbrini Pianoforti, Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, the Mike Ferry Organization, the Stewart Rahr Foundation, Stefano Ricci SpA, and the Columbus Citizens Foundation, together with Luxy, the Blackfin, Fondazione Varaldo di Pietro, Rotary Club Montecarlo-Piana di Lucca, Club Zeta3mendi, Confartigianato Cremona – Gruppo Liutai E Scuola Internazionale di Liuteria, Italy For Christ, SIAE, Shure, Lenovo, Amitie Sans Frontieres Firenze, Ermenegildo Gnutti, Targetti, Gruppo Giardini, and the Lions Club Busseto.