The initiative forms part of the 2025/2026 Concert Season promoted by the Conservatorio di Musica "Luca Marenzio" di Brescia and centres on a fully staged production of La prova di un'opera seria, the one-act farce by Francesco Gnecco.
Conceived as both an artistic and educational project, the production brings together the STU.D.I.O. Orchestra, comprising students and faculty members of the Conservatorio, and students from the Conservatorio's Vocal Studies classes, who are selected through internal auditions for the assignment of the opera's principal roles. The production is conducted from the harpsichord by Maestro Pierangelo Pelucchi, who also serves as musical director, while stage direction and costume design are by Danilo Coppola.
Pierangelo Pelucchi
Pierangelo Pelucchi graduated in orchestral conducting, piano, voice, harpsichord, and several other musical disciplines, completing advanced studies in Salzburg and Vienna. Since 1985, he has pursued an international career as an opera and symphonic conductor, collaborating with leading orchestras and internationally renowned artists. A faculty member at the Conservatorio di Musica "Luca Marenzio", he is also active as a visiting professor throughout Europe and Asia, where he gives masterclasses for singers and conductors, focusing primarily on nineteenth-century Italian opera and contributing to the promotion of rarely performed Italian operatic repertoire. He has prepared numerous critical editions, modern performances, and commercial recordings, particularly of works by Mayr and Donizetti, composers for whom he is widely regarded as one of the foremost international specialists.
Danilo Coppola
Born in Sicily in 1996, Danilo Coppola began his artistic career in theatre and music, first as a dancer and later as a violinist. He graduated in Stage Design from the Accademia di Belle Arti di Palermo and furthered his studies in Opera Stage Direction at the Accademia AMO in Novara and subsequently at the Verona Accademia per l'Opera. He also obtained a postgraduate diploma in Stage Design from the Accademia di Belle Arti di Urbino. A stage director, set designer, and costume designer, Coppola has collaborated with major opera institutions, including the Teatro Massimo di Palermo, Arena di Verona, Teatro Comunale di Bologna, Teatro Verdi di Trieste, Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, and the Bord Gáis Energy Theatre in Dublin. He has directed numerous opera productions, including La traviata, Il matrimonio segreto, Tosca, and Il barbiere di Siviglia. In 2024, he was responsible for the stage direction, set design, and costumes for La bohème at the Teatro Colón A Coruña in Spain. During the 2024 and 2025 seasons, he served as Head of Stage Productions for the Ente Concerti Marialisa De Carolis in Sassari. For the past two years, he has taught Stage Arts at the Conservatorio di Musica "Luca Marenzio".
STU.D.I.O. Orchestra
The STU.D.I.O. Orchestra was established through a joint initiative between members of the Conservatorio faculty and its Directorate, with the aim of creating a permanent ensemble bringing together faculty members and students selected through internal auditions. The Orchestra provides an outstanding educational environment based on shared music-making and close artistic collaboration between students and teachers. At the same time, it represents the Conservatorio di Musica "Luca Marenzio" in public performances commissioned by both public and private institutions, appearing in national and international contexts. The Orchestra made its debut in 2018 at the Teatro Grande di Brescia, where it continues to present regular annual concerts. Its activities include a minimum of five productions each year, with frequent tours and guest performances both in Italy and abroad. Its instrumentation is flexible, ranging from chamber ensemble to full symphony orchestra according to the artistic requirements of each project. During the 2026–2027 biennium, the Orchestra is involved in the project "Beethoven 200 – Humanity Listening", which includes the complete performance of Beethoven's nine symphonies together with his orchestral overtures.