Ramon Ditano

The list of those admitted to the in-person auditions for the 2025 edition of the Bottega Donizetti, the masterclass workshop for opera singers that the Donizetti Theater Foundation activates every year for young opera singers' voices, has been published. This year more than 150 applications arrived from 31 different countries, and the committee admitted 31 singers to the in-person selections, to be held on Monday, March 31, and Tuesday, April 1, 2025. From them, 6 participants (2 sopranos, 1 mezzo-soprano, 1 tenor, 1 baritone, 1 bass-baritone/baritone) will be chosen to take part in Donizetti Opera 2025 festival productions. The specialization workshop dedicated to Donizetti's repertoire, curated by Giulio Zappa, in the 2025 edition will have Riccardo Frizza, Alessandro Corbelli and Cristiano Sandri among its teachers. Eligible candidates

Sign Up for Ticket Alerts! Fondazione Teatro Donizetti and Bergamo Jazz announce the return to Bergamo, after over 50 years since his previous concert in the city, of Herbie Hancock: the great American pianist will be at the Lazzaretto on Friday, July 18 (9:30 PM), as a guest in one of the three events that Bergamo Jazz will organize next summer together with the International Piano Festival of Brescia and Bergamo, as part of the performance series promoted by the Municipality of Bergamo. "We are delighted and proud to be able to deliver such important news: the return to Bergamo of an artist of Herbie Hancock's caliber after so many years is an event of absolute significance," comments Giorgio Berta, president of the Donizetti Theater Foundation, "Herbie Hancock is an international star, as well as an outstanding pianist, and we are very pleased to have the friends of the Brescia and Bergamo Piano Festival at our side on this special occasion in the memory of its founder Filippo Siebaneck." The other two Bergamo Jazz concerts included in the Lazzaretto Estate 2025 program will also be announced soon. Tickets will be available at the Teatro Donizetti Box Office and online on the VivaTicket circuit starting Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at 4:00 PM. Subscribers to Bergamo Jazz Festival 2025 and the Piano Festival 2025 will be able to exercise their pre-emption right on reservations during the Bergamo jazz festival, from March 20 to 23, 2025, always from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM by presenting themselves directly at the Box Office. Born in Chicago in 1940, considered one of the greatest jazz pianists on the scene from the 1960s onwards, winner of 14 Grammy Awards, Herbie Hancock is the protagonist of a brilliant career that has gradually led him to engage with different fields and genres. From his successful collaboration with Miles Davis and the historic recordings as a leader for Blue Note (including Takin' Off, Maiden Voyage and Speak Like a Child), his star has also shone in contact with funk, hip hop and the best singer-songwriter music. Notable in this regard are the formation of Head Hunters, a seminal funk-jazz group, the 1980 album Future Shock, which included the global hit "Rockit", and his collaboration with Joni Mitchell. Herbie Hancock performed at the Teatro Donizetti in March 1972: alongside him were, among others, trumpet player Eddie Henderson and drummer Billy Hart, who will be upcoming protagonists of Bergamo Jazz 2025 on March 22 as members of The Cookers. Since 2011, Herbie Hancock has been the patron of UNESCO's International Jazz Day, which Bergamo Jazz has been participating in for several years.

Donizetti Theatre Foundation/Bergamo Jazz and the International Piano Festival of Brescia and Bergamo present three extraordinary concerts at Lazzaretto in collaboration with the City of Bergamo Friday, June 27, 2025 Mare Nostrum: Paolo Fresu/Richard Galliano/Jan Lundgren Thursday, July 10, 2025 Kurt Elling & The Yellowjackets "Celebrate Weather Report" Friday, July 18, 2025 Herbie Hancock Three extraordinary concerts of international scope will be added to the usual Bergamo Jazz program, whose 46th edition is now just around the corner, from March 20 to 23. Three special events organized as part of the summer initiative promoted at Lazzaretto by the Culture Department of the City of Bergamo: Fondazione Teatro Donizetti and Bergamo Jazz, together with the International Piano Festival of Brescia and Bergamo, will bring artists of extraordinary prestige and international fame to Lazzaretto, reflecting the long tradition of two of the city's most important music festivals. It begins on Friday, June 27 with an authentic supertrio that bears the “name of Mare Nostrum and which aligns the trumpet of Paolo Fresu, one of the most beloved Italian jazz musicians, even” abroad, the masterful accordion of the Frenchman Richard Galliano and the piano of the Swede Jan Lundgren, a refined specialist of the 88 keys. Then, on Thursday, July 10, it will be the turn of American Kurt Elling and compatriots Yellowjackets: the summit meeting between today's leading exponent of jazz singing declined to the male voice and one of the most iconic bands in the jazz-fusion area will take place in the groove of the music of Weather Report, a legendary lineup that left behind indelible traces of adventurous and innovative music. Finally, on Friday, July 18, Bergamo will see the return, more than 50 years after his previous concert in the city, of Herbie Hancock, one of the brightest stars in the world musical firmament. The U.S. pianist, who will perform at Lazzaretto leading a band whose lineup will be announced soon, will hold a long European tour next summer, starting July 1 from Hamburg and ending July 31 in Madrid. There will be five Italian stops: Perugia, Rome, Udine, Bergamo and Naples. Tickets for the three concerts will be available at the Donizetti Theater Box Office and online on the VivaTicket circuit starting Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at 4 p.m. Subscribers to the Bergamo Jazz Festival 2025 and the Piano Festival 2025 will be able to take advantage of the right of first refusal on reservations during the Bergamo Jazz Festival 2025, that is, from March 20 to March 23, again from 4 to 8 p.m. by coming directly to the Ticket Office (Piazza Cavour, 15). All concerts will begin at 9:30 PM. For Sergio Gandi, Deputy Mayor and Councillor for Culture of the Municipality of Bergamo, "it is an honor to have the opportunity to host artists of this value, whose presence further enriches the wide range of proposals of the fifth edition of Lazzaretto Estate, giving it an international imprint. Heartfelt thanks are therefore due to

Over 2 million euros from Cariplo Foundation to bring new generations closer to culture and support generational change Youth Club is the name of the new experimental initiative promoted by Cariplo Foundation, designed to bring younger people closer to the theatre, reducing inequalities in access to culture: Donizetti Theatre Foundation, with its project "2025: voices, sounds, generations", is one of the involved entities, thanks to its numerous training programs aimed at young people. Cariplo Foundation will provide over 2 million euros in total to support an ambitious and participatory project that will network the main Lombard cultural institutions, and beyond, active in live performances, with a common goal: to combat educational poverty, reduce inequalities and promote active participation of new generations in cultural life. The participating institutions will commit to enhancing and strengthening their cultural programs aimed at audiences between 0 and 30 years old, developing new formats, adopting languages closer to them, and building active relationships with schools, universities, community centers, and other educational entities to reach and involve young people where they live, grow, and learn. Giovanni Azzone, President of Cariplo Foundation, states: "Most young people and children in Italy do not go to the theatre, except for some occasions with school. This is part of the problem known as 'educational poverty'. Those who do not have opportunities of this kind are as if they were giving up developing a part of their cultural baggage. Certainly, initiatives suitable for children, teenagers, and young people of today are needed, with an offer that brings these generations closer. The risk is twofold: theatres will not succeed in achieving a generational change of audience, and new generations will lose a great opportunity to be moved, grow, and get excited by the power of the theatrical experience. Youth Club aims to reverse this trend. It does so with the alliance and sharing of objectives with many theatrical realities in the territory. It is an important piece of the journey to bring the magic of performance to the youngest; we have also done this with the LAIVIN program, which in eighteen years has involved over 42,000 high school students, in this case giving them the thrill of getting on stage and putting themselves out there. Engaging young people to give them formative experiences. This is the goal. In return, we will have a generation that integrates their pastimes with other activities of cultural value." “We are particularly pleased with the involvement of Cariplo Foundation in the Youth Club project”, comments Massimo Boffelli, General Director of the Donizetti Theatre Foundation, “For years our Foundation has been committed to education by designing, studying, and implementing programs for young people and very young people. Youth Club is for us a recognition of the great work done in recent years and a push to ensure that the Donizetti Theatre and the Social Theatre increasingly become a home for everyone, but especially for new generations. Our priority is the creation of a dynamic and inclusive cultural environment

The advanced masterclass dedicated to the Donizetti repertoire, led by Giulio Zappa, will feature Riccardo Frizza, Alessandro Corbelli, and Cristiano Sandri among its instructors for the 2025 edition Application deadline: by 1:00 PM on Friday, February 14, 2025 In-person auditions: Monday, March 31, and Tuesday, April 1, 2025 Would you like to read the call for applications with all the details about the “Donizetti Workshop 2025” project and apply? CLICK HERE Participation is free of charge and is open to young artists born on or after January 1, 1993. This year, 6 participants will be selected: 2 sopranos, 1 mezzo-soprano, 1 tenor, 1 baritone, and 1 bass/bass-baritone/baritone. During the production period of the Donizetti Opera Festival 2025, each participant will receive a gross fee of €4,500 in addition to the scholarship, for their involvement in some of the scheduled productions. Through the “Donizetti Workshop,” participants will have the opportunity to deepen their understanding of vocal and dramaturgical elements associated with Donizetti’s operatic works, refining various aspects of the bel canto repertoire and, as Gaetano Donizetti demanded, developing their acting skills as well.