Donizetti Education
CHILDREN’S SCHOOL.

The cultural heritage constituted by the music of the past and of a great composer such as Gaetano Donizetti must be enhanced by continuing to dialogue with the present. A privileged place for this dialogue can only be the school, a fundamental junction between the past and the future.
For the 2025/2026 School Year, We Await all Children from Kindergartens for the Unmissable Tano Di Lammermoor and Gaetano Gioppino and the Elixir of Love, Puppet Shows by Daniele Cortesi, an Artist and Craftsman from our Own Bergamo, Capable of Making all Stories Magical through His Creations. A Musician from the Teatro Donizetti Foundation Will Visit all Registered Schools for a Workshop, and then We’ll Welcome Them to the Theater in Spring!
A New Addition Will be the Little Mister Noise, a Concert-Game with Musical Forks for the Youngest, Including a School Workshop after the Show, to Avoid Revealing Anything before the Magic of the Concert.
All these Shows are Participatory, Involving Audience Interaction with Choruses and Simple Objects Made at School.
There are also Workshops and Guided Tours of all the Fascinating Locations of the Foundation: the Donizetti Theatre, the Social Theatre, and the Birthplace of our Gaetano in the Upper City.
We Await all Teachers on October 18 for an Intensive Training Day Dedicated to all Projects, with Their Interventions as Well, to Share the Best Practices of the Wonderful Work They Do around Their Theater Experience.

Educational Projects for Kindergartens, Primary and Secondary Schools

Opera can represent a dual resource, being an opportunity for both knowledge in the most didactic sense of the term, and personal training and experience. Its didactic value, which makes it unique and unparalleled, is that it results from the interaction between different linguistic and communicative codes (musical, iconic, literary), thus lending itself to an interdisciplinary comparison with school teaching. The educational value, then, lies in its subject: opera stages human stories and events, and with them the joys, sorrows, achievements, and desires of man, told through the words and gestures of the opera’s protagonists.

From time to time, their emotions and thoughts are narrated, and in this sense, opera serves the emotional education of young people, now promoted in the school environment. This is the new direction that drives Donizetti Educational’s proposals: to highlight Donizetti’s figure as a Master of Emotions and enhance the intrinsic multidisciplinarity in the opera itself.

Donizetti Educational. Digital Experience

Educational project for Primary and Secondary Schools in Bergamo and Province.

Donizetti educational. Digital experience is the new digital initiative dedicated to Gaetano Donizetti and intended for the world of education. It will be for the first time free and entirely in digital format, to provide support and a concrete contribution in these difficult phases of the educational journey of the youngest.

Donizetti’s theater and music aim to be a resource for schools. The fundamental tools for an original and age-appropriate journey will thus be made available, to discover the new Donizetti Theatre which, as soon as possible, will reopen its doors to welcome the public: such a fundamental moment for the Foundation and the City must be prepared and shared with the youngest. A way to introduce students to the city theater, its history, innovations, and changes brought about by the restoration.

The course, from April 6, 2021 until the end of the school year, is differentiated according to school cycle and includes a three-part documentary video at the restored Donizetti Theater, combined with a package of educational activities that will provide a true educational experience to learn about Donizetti and the world of theater.

Meetings can be run independently by teachers with full digital support delivered through Gsuite_Classroom platform.

Each meeting includes:
– documentary video of the restored Donizetti Theatre;
– video comprehension quiz;
– in-depth material (Videos for elementary / .ppt for middle and high schools);
– an activity sheet based on listening to songs and sound tracks.

Themes:
1) The theater (when it was born, where it is located, how it’s made, its parts…)
2) The home of opera (What is opera, the artists, the libretto…)
3) Gaetano and his trusted companions (Who is Gaetano, Donizetti in Bergamo, the operas…)

Donizetti ON
For high school students, through their teachers, a 50% discount coupon for the visit can be activated at the end of the course.

The proposal is for all primary and secondary schools in Bergamo and Province. Each registered contact teacher can register their class group for the digital visit experience by filling out the form below. To access the activity Donizetti Educational. Digital Experience :

– registration through the form;
– activation of an educational account;
– access to Classroom.

OPERAS AND PERFORMANCES

Participatory Concert
Little Mister Noise

Written, Drawn and Composed by Enrico Gabrielli
Played and Noised by Sebastiano De Gennaro
Narrated and Played by Marcello Corti
DESCRIPTION
a Musical Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Story about a Sound Character Looking for Home.
Little Mister Noise is a Curious Fluff Ball with Little Legs and Arms, who Doesn’t Know where He Came from: He Wants to Find His Home! Through Silent Deserts, Stormy Seas, Cultivated Fields, and Chaotic Cities, He’ll Meet Characters like Two Rodents, Geoffrey the Lawnmower Robot, Camels, Seagulls, Bicycles, Coconut Vendors, Prepared Pianos, and more. Will He Find His Home? He’ll Need the Help of the Children Present to Find the Right Way: through Choices, Challenges, and Riddles, the Audience in the Room Will Decide His Path.
Little Mister Noise is not just the First Concert-Game, but a Search for Self, a Small Graphic Coming-Of-Age Novel through the World of Sound, without any Discrimination between Music and Noise. Little Mister Noise is a Great Opportunity to Reflect on What Music is. The Audience Must Listen to the Musicians’ Music, but the Musicians Must Follow the Audience’s Directions. Among a Vibraphone, a Xylophone, Drums, Cymbals, Pianos, a Trombone or Euphonium, a Trumpet and, Indeed, Patafix, Screws, Bolts, and a Mysterious Contraption, the Fourth Wall is Definitely Broken!
AROUND THE SHOW
to Best Participate in the Concert, each Child Will Need to Prepare a Small Paper Arrow, for which a Template Will be Provided. After Viewing the Show, a Music Workshop Will Take Place in the Classroom.
FAMILY PERFORMANCE Saturday, November 22 at 3:00 PM for the Workshop and at 4:00 PM for the Show, at Teatro Donizetti
(for Info See Opera Family Section)
  • LOCATION: Ridotto Gavazzeni – Teatro Donizetti
  • DATE: April 13, 2026 | 9:00 AM and 10:30 AM
  • DURATION: 60 minutes
  • COST: € 11 including classroom workshop, ticket, and educational materials

Participatory Show with Puppets and Tenor
Gaetano, Gioppino and the Elixir of Love

Dramaturgy, Texts, and Puppets by Daniele Cortesi
with Daniele Cortesi and His Puppets
Tenor Kevin Amaglio
Accordionist Gino Zambelli
Lyrics by Felice Romani
Music by Gaetano Donizetti
DESCRIPTION
Daniele Cortesi’s Show Attempts to Explain, with Freedom and Imagination, how Gaetano Donizetti might Have been Inspired to Compose the Elixir of Love, and Ventures the not Impossible Friendship between the Composer Gaetano Donizetti and the Character of Gioppino Zuccalunga, both from Bergamo and both Born at the End of the 18th Century. The Story Takes Place in Bergamo, in Places Dear to its Citizens: the Enchanting Piazza Vecchia and the Beautiful Theater that, many Years Later, Was Dedicated to the Bergamo Musician Himself. To Provide Live Commentary on the Scenes, the most Famous Arias from the Elixir Serve as an Evocative Accompaniment, Played Live and Sung by a Tenor. A Truly Choral Comedy, in which the Characters of Gaetano Donizetti and His Future Wife Virginia Play the Roles of Nemorino and Adina, Respectively, the Protagonists of the Comic Melodrama the Elixir of Love. Gaetano Donizetti, a Young and Very Shy Composer, Falls in Love with the Beautiful Virginia who, like Him, Adores Music. His Friend Gioppino Encourages the Composer to Declare Himself, Perhaps by Dedicating a Sweet Serenade to the Girl, but…
CLASSROOM WORKSHOP
the Young Audience Participates in a Workshop at School in Preparation for the Opera to Learn the Choruses.
  • LOCATION: Ridotto Gavazzeni – Teatro Donizetti
  • DATE: April 15, 2026 | 9:00 AM and 10:30 AM
  • DURATION: 60 minutes
  • COST: € 11 including classroom workshop, ticket, and educational materials

Participatory Show with Puppets, Soprano, and Actor
Tano of Lammermoor

A project by Manuel Renga and Simone Dini Gandini
Dramaturgy by Simone Dini Gandini
Directed by Manuel Renga
With Daniele Cortesi and his puppets
And with Leonardo Moroni, Roberto Dibitonto, Francesca Longa
Musical supervision by Alberto Zanardi
DESCRIPTION
Little Tano (a Very Young Gaetano Donizetti) is 7 Years Old and Has a Stormy Character. An Argument with His Parents is just around the Corner: this Time the Cause of the Anger is His Refusal to Eat Spinach and His Demand to Eat Only Cake. So What Happens? He’s Sent to Bed without Dinner.
Nothing New so Far in the Donizetti Household, but What Happens in Tano’s Bedroom?
the Young Musician Vents all His Anger on His Toys: He Puts on His Father’s Jacket, Draws a Mustache on Himself, and Starts Giving Orders Left and Right. He Forces Beautiful Lucia (a Beautiful Puppet) to Marry the Evil Lord Bucklaw (a Puppet with a Wicked Grin), Forces the Colonel (a Highly Decorated Scottish Puppet) to Guard Lammermoor Castle, and Finally Winds up His Musician Doll, Forcing it to Play Continuously.
but the Toys Have a Secret: They are Alive! Until Today, the Rule of Rules Had Never been Violated; it States that No Toy Can be Seen Alive by Human Children.
after a Series of Adventures and Vexations, the Rule is Broken, and Gaetano Finds Himself Talking, Reasoning, and Discussing with His Toys: Together with Them, He Will Go through a Journey of Growth that Will Lead Him to Understand that Obligations and Deceptions are Never a Good Idea and that Everyone Has Rights but also Duties.
so while He Eats His Spinach (not without Difficulty), He Will Allow Lucia to Meet and Marry Her Sweetheart Edgardo. Who Knows if, Struck by the Magical Events of that Night, Tano Will Decide to Dedicate Himself to Music and Write a Beautiful Opera Dedicated to Lucia Di Lammermoor.
CLASSROOM WORKSHOP
the Young Audience Participates in a Workshop at School in Preparation for the Opera to Learn the Choruses.
  • LOCATION: Ridotto Gavazzeni – Teatro Donizetti
  • DATE: April 14, 2026 | 9:00 AM and 10:30 AM
  • DURATION: 50 minutes
  • COST: € 11 including classroom workshop, ticket, and educational materials

VISITS AND WORKSHOPS

Interactive Visit and Musical Workshop
Let Me Introduce You to Gaetano

Visit Curated by Clelia Epis or Maria Teresa Galati
Musical Workshop Led by Alessandra Giolo or Mariagrazia Mercaldo
DESCRIPTION
Drawing Inspiration from Gaetano’s Life, the Places, and Habits of the Young Musician, We Immerse Ourselves in a Musical, Historical, Visual, Vocal, and Physical Experience to be Lived Firsthand.
Let Me Introduce You to Gaetano is a Project that Connects the Discovery of Donizetti’s Upper City and the Places where He Grew up with a Musical and Vocal Workshop. A Double Journey to Discover Gaetano as a Master of Emotions.
the Interactive Visit to the Birthplace and the Teatro Sociale, Opened Exclusively, Comes Alive with Narrative Moments about both the Composer and the World of Opera. A Real Journey Made Possible Thanks to the Urban Layout of the Upper City, which is Still Identical to that of Gaetano’s Time.
the Workshop, Starting with Vocal and Physical Tuning, Leads Participants to Sing and Stage Short Pieces from Famous Operas by Gaetano Donizetti. The Proposals are Structured to Accommodate Children of Different Age Groups from Kindergarten to Primary and Lower Secondary School.
The experience includes access to Casa Natale and Teatro Sociale based on space availability and at the discretion of the Donizetti Theatre Foundation.
  • LOCATION: Gaetano Donizetti’s Birthplace
  • DATE: from January to May 2026 from 9:15 AM to 11:15 AM
  • DURATION: 2 hours (up to 2 groups or classes at a time)
  • COST: € 100 per group/class

TEACHERS

Teacher Training
Donizetti Education Teachers’ Day 2025|2026

Project carried out in collaboration with Territorial School Office

DESCRIPTION
after Last Year’s Great Participation, the Fondazione Teatro Donizetti is Promoting a Free Intensive Training Day (8 Hours), Open to all Teachers, with Common Sessions and Specific Activities for each School Level.
Objective: to Provide Tools and Content to Familiarize Teachers with Opera and the Figure of Gaetano Donizetti, with Useful Suggestions for Classroom Teaching.
Participation Will be Completely Free, and Printed and Digital Educational Materials Will be Provided.
Attendance at the Training Does not Require Mandatory Registration of Classes for the Shows and Educational Projects of the Teatro Donizetti Foundation. It Aims to be an Opportunity for Study and In-Depth Learning for Teachers, Regardless of the Actual Impact on Classes. This Decision Stems from the Desire to Involve Teachers Primarily as Privileged Interlocutors and Bearers of Culture to New Generations, in Accordance with the Guidelines of the Foundation’s Statute.
  • LOCATION: “M. Tremaglia” Music Hall and Historic Rooms – Teatro Donizetti
  • DATE: October 18, 2025 | from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
  • DURATION: full day
  • COST: free of charge
PLANNING

OPERA EDUCATION

Opera Education is AsLiCo ‘s Italian platform that promotes passion for opera in young audiences. The Fondazione Teatro Donizetti hosts annual performances for the musical and opera education of children and young people, fun educational paths between school and theater.

Primary and secondary school

La Cenerentola. Grand Hotel dei sogni

Social Theater
March 6 and 7, 2022

For the 2021/2022 season, Opera Education AsLiCo together with its co-producing partners Théâtre des Champs Elysées and Opéra de Rouen will present Rossini’s opera La Cenerentola. Daniele Menghini, winner of the competition for the directorial project, will stage one of the most famous and beloved fairy tales by the public.
In Rossini’s version, surprisingly, we are not faced with a true fairy tale, as the composer and his librettist Ferretti purge the story of all magical and fairy-tale elements: there are no mice transforming into coachmen, no pumpkin turning into a carriage, no fairy godmother, and not even a glass slipper. The story comes to life in a Grand Hotel: a melting pot of different cultures and social classes, a dimension that makes exchange and encounter a wealth, a special place where an illustrious guest like a prince can meet and fall in love with a maid, recognizing the true beauty that hides behind a dirty apron.

Information: www.aslico.org
Cost:
– €5 show viewing
– €12 show viewing + booklet

with the contribution of

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