Teacher
Massimo Quarta
Regulations 2026-2027
Admission
Admission requirements
- The three-year course is open to musicians of any nationality who are no more than 28 years of age.
- Candidates must possess a 1st or 2nd Level Degree or Conservatory Diploma in Violoncello (old Italian system) in Vocal Studies. Qualifications obtained abroad shall be considered valid only where formally recognised as equivalent to an Italian Conservatory Diploma. The responsibility for obtaining such recognition, in accordance with applicable Italian legislation, shall rest with the candidate. Candidates should be fluent in the Italian language.
Exceptions to these requirements may be permitted only in extraordinary cases, subject to evaluation and approval by both the professor and the Academic Board, in the presence of outstanding artistic merit.
Admission shall be granted only upon fulfilment of the above requirements and successful completion of the entrance examination.
Applications for admission
Applications for admission must be submitted online via the following link: https://santacecilia.it/en/master-courses/form-di-iscrizione-corsi-di-perfezionamento)
by no later than the 12 July 2026.
Submission of the application will be confirmed via email notification from the Accademia.
The following documents must be attached to the online application:
- diploma certificate
- artistic CV and list of studied repertoire;
- examination programme at the candidate’s choice;
- photocopy of passport or other identification document;
- proof of payment of the examination admission fee.
Entrance examination
Programme
Performance of a program of the candidate’s choice consisting of pieces from different styles and periods, with a total duration of 30 minutes.
Mode
Entrance examinations will be held at the Academy’s headquarters at Via Vittoria 6 (Rome), on 20 October 2026. Candidates will receive their official schedule via email.
Candidates must provide a valid identification document and provide all musical materials required for the examination, including scores for the accompanist.; the Academy will provide applicants with a Piano accompanist.
The Examination Board may request full or partial performance of the programme.
The pieces shall be prepared in full and the concertos and solo pieces shall be performed from memory. The Panel may ask the candidates to describe the motivations and objectives connected to attending the course.
Duration
The course runs over a period of three years.
The course includes:
- two intermediate progression examinations (Year I to II; Year II to III);
- a final Diploma examination at the conclusion of Year III.
In exceptional circumstances, and subject to approval by the Academic Board, the Diploma examination may be undertaken at the conclusion of Year II.
Attendance
Each academic year shall comprise twenty-five days of lessons delivered by the Professor. Students shall be required to attend a minimum of twelve individual lessons per year, in addition to all collective and artistic activities included within the curriculum.
Attendance schedules are agreed directly with the Professor. Any Inability to attend one or more scheduled lessons shall be communicated to the Professor and to the Academic Office (Segreteria Didattica: didattica@santacecilia.it) as far in advance as possible, in order to facilitate rescheduling where possible.
Repeated and/or unjustified absences may result in the exclusion from the progression to the next academic year or Diploma examinations.
In the event of interruption due to certified health reasons, the student may be permitted to repeat the interrupted academic year in the subsequent year, subject to submission of appropriate medical documentation. Suspension of attendance for educational or artistic reasons shall not be permitted. In cases of voluntary withdrawal, a new application for admission shall be required, and the entrance examination must be undertaken again.
Students are required to inform their Professor of any external educational and/or artistic commitments during the course. In the case where, students enrolled in other courses are asked to submit a certificate of enrolment of the attended courses (2nd level / master programmes, etc.).
Chamber Music Examination
In order to be admitted to the Diploma Examination, students must undertake, during the second year of attendance, a Chamber Music assessment. This will consist of the preparation and performance of a chamber work, in collaboration with other students and with the Faculty, as part of a concert scheduled during the academic year in the halls of the Auditorium Parco della Musica.
This examination/concert will be prepared under the supervision of Maestro Andrea Lucchesini, who will define the programme and performance modalities.
Students who are simultaneously enrolled in, or have already graduated from, the Academy’s Chamber Music course are exempt from this examination, though they may still participate if they wish. Instrumental students who collaborate with a Chamber Music ensemble for the preparation and performance of the Diploma examination are also exempt.
Attendance of Chamber Music courses at other institutions will not be considered valid for exemption.
Promotion examination
At the end of each academic year, students must pass an examination in order to confirm their progress and advance to the following year. The required programmes are as follows:
Progression from Year I to Year II
Performance of a program selected by the candidate in accordance with the following requirements:
- one virtuosic piece for solo violin or with piano accompaniment;
- two movements chosen from the Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin by J.S. Bach, or the Chaconne from the Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004;
- the first movement of a Concerto by W. A. Mozart;
- one movement from a Sonata for violin and piano from the Classical or Romantic period;
- the first movement of a Romantic Concerto (including Beethoven).
Concertos and solo works must be performed from memory.
The Examination Board may request the performance of all or part of the submitted programme.
Progression from Year II to Year III
Performance of a program selected by the candidate in accordance with the following requirements:
- a virtuosic piece for solo violin or with piano accompaniment, different from that presented in the first year;
- one Sonata or Partita for solo violin by J.S. Bach;
- one Sonata for violin and piano from the Modern or Contemporary period;
- one Concerto by W. A. Mozart;
- the first movement of a Concerto for violin and orchestra from the Modern or Contemporary period.
Concertos and solo works must be performed from memory.
The Examination Board may request the performance of all or part of the submitted programme.
If a student does not pass the progression examination, they may reapply for admission to the course only after at least one academic year has elapsed.
Diploma examination
The Diploma Examination consists of the public performance of a concert programme of approximately one hour, comprising of at least three important pieces from the instrument’s repertoire. The programme will be selected by the President of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia from three different programme proposals submitted by the candidate, subject to prior approval by the teacher, within the deadline communicated at the beginning of the academic year.
The programme must include: a piece for solo violin or other virtuoso piece with or without piano accompaniment; a Sonata; a Concerto.
The selected programme will be communicated to the candidate 40 (forty) days prior to the Diploma concert.
In addition, the programme will include the performance of a short piece assigned by the Academic Board 40 (forty) days prior to the examination date.
The programme must be performed in its entirety. Concertos and solo works must be performed from memory.
The decisions of the Examination Committees regarding admission, progression, and the Diploma are final and not subject to appeal.
Fees
Examination and attendance fees
- € 50.00 entrance examination;
- € 950.00 yearly attendance (In the case of simultaneous enrolment in the Chamber Music course, one of the two fees is reduced to €800.00.);
- € 100.00 progression examination;
- € 250.00 diploma examination.
Students who have not paid their tuition and examination fees in full will not be admitted to lessons or examinations.
All payments, specifying as reason “Violin Course,” may be made via:
- wire transfer
c/c n. 9872, made out to Fondazione Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Banca Nazionale del Lavoro (BNL) Agenzia n. 6340 di Roma, Via del Tritone, 31
IBAN: IT31 I 010 0503 2400 0000 0009 872
SWIFT: BIC BNL IITRR - Paypal on Fondazione’s website at this link https://santacecilia.it/alta-formazione/paypal
Proof of payment of the attendance fee must be submitted to the Academic Office within 15 days of admission (Segreteria didattica: didattica@santacecilia.it). The attendance fee may be paid in two equal instalments, the second of which will be due no later than 1 March.
Withdrawal from the course shall not entitle the student to a refund of any fees paid.
Scholarships
For the Academic Year 2026-2027, the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, thanks to the contribution of the Boris Christoff Foundation, has approved the allocation of Scholarships for students of the Advanced Courses with the aim of providing concrete support for attending the academic path. The relevant Regulations with the allocation criteria will be published shortly.
Information and contacts
Academic office (Segreteria didattica)
Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia
Via Vittoria, 6 – 00187 Roma
Tel: +39 0632817.348 – 321 – 305
E-mail: didattica@santacecilia.it
All requests and communications to the academic office (Segreteria didattica) should be e-mailed to didattica@santacecilia.it specifying the purpose of the request for quicker handling.