Accademia Teatro alla Scala

If we wish to find the roots of Teatro alla Scala’s vocation for transmitting to the coming generations the inestimable living heritage of talent and knowledge of the La Scala masters – not just dance and opera, but also creativity and manual skills – we must go back to 1813 and the founding of the Imperial Regia Accademia di Ballo, today’s Ballet School. The creation of the Scuola dei Cadetti della Scala in 1950, forebear of today’s distinguished Academy of Lyric Opera, and of the Course for Charge Artists in 1970, ushered in ongoing development of professional training at Teatro alla Scala. The progressive diversification of the curriculum under the stewardship of Carlo Fontana led to the creation of the Schools, Training and Development Department in 1991 and the institution of the independent Fondazione Accademia Teatro alla Scala in 2001. Partnering with Teatro alla Scala in this initiative are the Region of Lombardy, the Milan Chamber of Commerce, Bocconi University, the Milan Polytechnic, Fondazione Bracco and the City of Milan. They are supported by a sizeable group of foundations, associations, businesses and individual patrons, as well as public institutions such as the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which provides scholarships for foreign students.