From 16 to 22 February 2026, the G.B. Martini Conservatory of Bologna took part in an international mobility programme at Hacettepe University in Ankara, aimed at deepening musicological research and the musical connections between Italy and the Middle East. Students and teachers joined workshops, seminars, masterclasses, and shared teaching activities, exploring the musical relations between Italy and Turkey with a focus on early, Renaissance, Baroque, and traditional music.
A significant part of the programme was devoted to comparative historical-musicological study, examining theoretical sources, cultural contexts, and performance practices from antiquity to the Baroque. The analysis covered medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque developments, highlighting both the distinctive features of the two traditions and their mutual influences and points of contact.
Alongside theory, an intensive practical dimension unfolded through workshops and masterclasses. Participants explored historically informed performance of early music, with particular attention to Baroque improvisation and basso continuo, and experimented with transferring historical instrumental techniques, such as those of the viola da gamba, to the modern cello and other bowed strings.
Intercultural comparison was central, through studies of singing styles, musical systems, and ways of transmitting musical knowledge, especially improvisation as a shared yet differently expressed practice in the Italian and Turkish contexts. The programme also addressed contemporary music, linking historical roots to current practice, notably in a workshop and concert on "circulating sounds" between East and West.
An intensive teacher exchange, which implied co-teaching, joint events, and job shadowing, strengthened academic cooperation, fostering the sharing of methodologies and consolidating institutional ties.
