Pietro is a violinist and is in the second year of his Master of Music. Here he talks about the artistic research he conducts for his Master’s, making himself much more conscious of his interpretative choices as a performer.

‘I was born in Verona in Italy, and that was also where I started my musical education. I come from a family of musicians, so I’ve always been in a musical environment. I got my degree in modern violin at the Conservatory of Verona, but also got interested in Early Music and the Baroque violin. So four years ago, I decided to come and study at the Early Music Department in The Hague. I did two years of Bachelor here, and then started the Master.’

Although Pietro is studying at the Early Music Department now, he would describe himself as a violinist interested in many kinds of repertoire. ‘I am combining two worlds: of contemporary music, and of classical or early music, and I am very interested in the combinations of these two languages. In the past few years I discovered I have a real passion for orchestra playing; I think it is really rewarding to play in an orchestra or big ensemble. But I also love to do chamber music projects, so that’s why I also play in different smaller formations in The Hague, together with students and alumni of the Royal Conservatoire.’

Master Project and Giuseppe Torelli
The main goal of the Master of Music programme of the Royal Conservatoire is for students to develop and complete their own Master’s project, that integrates artistic development, research and professional integration. ‘This combination of practical playing and research was one of the reasons for me to choose this Master programme. My project is about Giuseppe Torelli, a violinist and composer famous all over Europe during his life. He nowadays is not so much taken into consideration in the concert programs, nor in the academic environment. With my research I aim first of all to reconstruct the life of this musician, then to go back to the birth of a genre of which he is considered to be the father (the soloistic concerto, specifically for violin) and at last to analyze in concrete one Concerto, for which the paternity has been debated for long time (Vivaldi or Torelli?).

This topic gives me the possibility to dig deeper in the style and the aesthetics of this music, making myself much more conscious of my interpretative choices as a performer. In order to prove that to myself and also in order to give a bit of resonance to this composer and the possible results of my research, I am organizing a combined event in Verona. I would like to share and discuss the academical/musicological results of my work together with professors from the Conservatory of Verona and musicologists experts in a ‘round table’ event, specially open to the students of the University and of the Conservatory of Verona. And after that, I am going to finally bring back Torelli's music to his hometown, performing Violin Concertos and other music by him. I really hope I will be able to make this happen, because in these times it is hard to organize an event like this.’

​Get out of your bubble
Pietro feels very much helped by the way the Master Project is organized. ‘All students are in a Master Circle, in which we can share our process and results. Talking about your research, sharing it with others, helps you to get out of your bubble. I must say the atmosphere between the students, in our department and in in the whole school actually, is really nice. I met a lot of people who are really eager to get in the best shape that they can reach. It is really inspiring: we are helping each other to do our very best. And you can see the effect of this in the school projects. The level is really great. The projects are very, very close to a professional result.’

What really changed Pietro is being part of the international community that the Royal Conservatoire is. ‘This is a thing I experienced for the first time here. It is such a diverse and international community, and being able to share moments with people with totally different backgrounds than I have, I think helped me to have more of an open minded way of behaving and thinking.’

Nest
‘The Master of Music gives me a complete foundation, because we can work more on being a performer as well as developing our research skills. We receive a lot of input from the school, but then it is also up to each one of us to make something out of this. I really love this kind of environment in which students can experiment in all the different aspects of being a musician, and this helps me in developing my artistic identity. I can really take the direction which I think is the most suitable for me. And this is already a great preparation for my professional career. I never felt like being in a cage. The Royal Conservatoire is more like a nest in which you are free to develop your skills and then, once you are ready, you just go.’

Interested? Go to our 'Apply now' pages for more information about the Royal Conservatoire, Master Research and the Early Music Department.