The Smarano Academy is pleased to announce that Professor Salvatore Carchiolo will join the teaching faculty for its 2025 edition.

An accomplished harpsichordist and expert in historical keyboard practice, Prof. Carchiolo currently holds the chair of harpsichord at the “Licinio Refice” Conservatory in Frosinone. He previously taught at the conservatories of Catania and Trapani, and led advanced basso continuo courses at the Centre de musique ancienne in Geneva and the Conservatory of Lausanne. His extensive concert activity has brought him to perform in prestigious venues across Italy and abroad — including France, Spain, Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium, Russia, Poland, Switzerland, the USA, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Japan, and more. He has been a frequent collaborator with leading chamber and baroque ensembles. During Smarano Academy 2025, he will lead a course on Basso continuo and the historical practice of partimento. In recent decades, musicology and theory have rediscovered partimenti, a teaching method developed by the Neapolitan school in the 18th century, though with roots going back to Renaissance fundamenta. By learning and internalizing these keyboard-based musical frameworks — much like learning a language — students acquired the tools to become complete composers, improvisers, and performers. This course will explore selected sources and provide participants with a solid foundation in historical improvisation and deeper insight into the repertoire.