Orchestra dell’Accademia del Teatro alla Scala di Milano

The training program for the Accademia Teatro alla Scala Orchestra prepares young musicians for their future professional careers by offering them comprehensive preparation in the symphonic, operatic, and ballet repertoire over a two-year period.

This is complemented by an intense schedule of artistic activities, both in Italy and abroad, under the guidance of some of the world’s most authoritative and renowned conductors, often in collaboration with the other artistic ensembles of the La Scala School.

The Orchestra has the opportunity to perform primarily at the Teatro alla Scala, which not only hosts the ensemble annually for a staged opera but also engages it for various Ballet Company productions and numerous concerts.

Operas and ballets staged at La Scala between 2007 and 2023 include Così fan tutte, Le nozze di Figaro, L’occasione fa il ladro, L’italiana in Algeri, Don Pasquale, La scala di seta, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Giselle, Onegin, L’histoire de Manon, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Die Zauberflöte, Hänsel und Gretel, Alì Baba e i quaranta ladroni, Gianni Schicchi, Prima la musica e poi le parole, Rigoletto, and Il matrimonio segreto.

In addition, the Orchestra has been involved in the “Great Shows for Children” project, which between 2014 and 2022 presented shortened versions of noted repertoire titles to introduce school-aged children to musical theater. In the 2022/’23 season, Teatro alla Scala entrusted the students with a new children’s opera, Il Piccolo Principe (The Little Prince), inspired by Saint-Exupéry’s famous story. Furthermore, the Orchestra accompanied the Bolshoi Ballet in La Bayadère at La Scala in 2018 and the Tokyo Ballet in 2019.

Recent engagements include the 2021 concert for Italy’s National Day at Expo Dubai 2020; the 2022 concert at the Teatro Vittorio Emanuele in Messina, attended by the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Bonino-Pulejo Foundation and the 70th anniversary of the Gazzetta del Sud; and, in 2023, the performance of Le nozze di Figaro in Giorgio Strehler’s celebrated production (revived by Marina Bianchi) at the Royal Opera House of Muscat, Oman, alongside the Academy’s soloists, chorus artists, and dancers. That year also featured La fille mal gardée in a new choreography by Frédéric Olivieri at the Teatro alla Scala.

Francesco Ommassini

Born in Venice, he completed his musical studies in violin and composition in his hometown, graduating with top honors and distinction. After refining his skills at major international academies (Hochschule in Vienna, Accademia Chigiana in Siena, Scuola di Musica di Fiesole), he quickly embarked on a brilliant concert career. This led him to perform in prestigious concert halls and for major international festivals, including the Musikverein in Vienna, Lincoln Center in New York, Sydney Opera House, Philharmonie in Berlin, Salzburg Festival, and Mostly Mozart.

Since 1996, he held the position of Principal Second Violin in the Orchestra of the Fondazione Arena di Verona. Being part of one of the world’s most important opera houses, and the constant contact and collaboration with the greatest conductors of our time, stimulated his desire to pursue conducting. He studied under Donato Renzetti, with whom he graduated from the Accademia Musicale Pescarese.

Since his conducting debut in 2012 with Rigoletto at the Teatro di Ferrara, his career has led him to perform in both operatic and symphonic fields at important theaters and festivals. His operatic engagements include: Teatro San Carlo di Napoli for Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice (which resulted in a Rai DVD) and Paisiello’s Zenobia in Palmira (CD Bongiovanni live); Teatro La Fenice di Venezia with Il Signor Bruschino; Teatro Regio di Torino with De Giosa’s Don Checco; Teatro Lirico di Cagliari with La Pietra del Paragone and Don Pasquale; Teatro Filarmonico di Verona with Sonnambula, Il Viaggio a Reims, Madama Butterfly, Rigoletto, Così fan tutte, Le nozze di Figaro, and Gioconda; and OperaLombardia with La scala di seta.

His symphonic seasons have included performances at the Teatro Bellini di Catania, with the Orchestra Verdi di Milano, for the Festival Il Settembre dell’ Accademia in Verona, for the Luglio Musicale Trapanese, and with the Orchestra Filarmonica del Comunale di Bologna.

From 2014 to 2018, he served as the Music Director of the Orchestra Regionale del Veneto Filarmonia Veneta. Since 2019, he has been the Resident Conductor at the Fondazione Arena di Verona.