Who we are
The goal of AsLiCo, Associazione Lirica e Concertistica (Italian Liric and Concert Association), is to select young emerging European singers, offering a high level education and the opportunity to make their debut in the most important Italian theatres. Every year AsLiCo selects hundreds of young singers from all over Europe for the main roles in its opera Season. Every singer is given the opportunity to enrich their experience singing in the main Opera Houses in Lombardy: Como, Cremona, Bergamo, Brescia and Pavia.
Since his foundation in 1949, AsLiCo has launched in the opera world great talents such as Luigi Alva, Carlo Bergonzi, Piero Cappuccilli, Maria Chiara, Mirella Freni, Adriana, Maliponte, Nicola Martinucci, Paolo Montarsolo, Fiorella Pediconi, Katia Ricciarelli, Renata Scotto, Simone Alaimo, Susanna Anselmi, Pietro Ballo, Carlo Columbara, Paolo Coni, Daniela Dessì, Valeria Esposito, Paolo Gavanelli, William Matteuzzi, Michele Pertusi, Alessandra Ruffini, Giuseppe Sabbatini, Adelina Scarabelli, Giorgio Zancanaro, and many others.
AsLiCo was founded by Count Giovanni Treccani degli Alfieri with the goal to promote opera. The Association has continued in this direction by dedicating itself to the training and professional development of young artists and by bringing the existence of amazing new talents to the attention of a wide audience. Other than the many singers who have reached a well renown, AsLiCo has given opportunity to conductors (Angelo Campori, Aldo Ceccato, Luciano Rosada, Alberto Zedda, and more recently Riccardo Chailly, Antonello Allemandi, Daniele Gatti, Evelino Pidò, Tiziano Severini and Donato Renzetti), directors, scenographers and costume designers to be appreciated in the main productions of the OperaLombardia.
AsLiCo Main activities:
- Selection of young opera singers through the Young Opera Singers Competition.
- Training courses based on repertoire operas and held by professionals of well renown.
- Opera productions aimed at highlighting emerging young talents in the European and extra European panorama.
- Support the young scholar audience in approaching the opera world, through training courses for teachers and specific productions for schools.
AsLiCo History
AsLiCo was founded in 1949 by senator Giovanni Treccani degli Alfieri in accordance with three fundamental principles: identification of opera talents; artistic training of young artists; high-level production of repertoire operas in which young singers make their debut. Still today AsLiCo pursues the same aims, widening its field of action in the initiatives for young artists.
Here are the milestones of the Association activity:
| 1949 | December 31st– foundation of AsLiCo, a non-profit association |
| 1950 | In the first year of activity, 326 singers are selected and 29 of them accepted for the refinement course and the debut. Only young singers of Italian nationality are accepted. In 1994 the AsLiCo Competition will become accessible to all members of the European Community. July 6th – Rigoletto opens the first evening of the first Season at Teatro Nuovo in Milan. |
| 1951 | A very young Carlo Bergonzi makes his debut in Un Ballo in Maschera and La Forza del Destino. |
| 1953 | The young soprano Renata Scotto is Violetta in La traviata. The first announcement with all the regulations of the Competition is printed: a maximum age limit for the candidates is established. |
| 1954 | Sensing the relevance of collaborating with other Institutions in promoting young opera singers, AsLiCo inaugurates a collaboration, the first of a long series, with AIDM in Florence. Luis Alva is Germont in La traviata. |
| 1955 -1969 | Throughout these years, AsLiCo organize tourneeés in France and Spain with Festival dell’Opera Italiana. |
| 1956 | Piero Cappuccilli makes his debut in Pagliacci as Tonio. |
| 1957 – 1969 | Throughout these years, AsLiCo collaborates with the American Opera Auditions in Cincinnati in a program that includes the exchange of artists. |
| 1958 | Mirella Freni makes her debut as Mimì in La bohéme. |
| 1968 | A new law is passed in Italy to regulate the relationship between the State and private musical associations. AsLiCo and Teatro Lirico Sperimentale in Spoleto are recognized as institutions for the training of young opera singers. |
| 1970 | Training courses are entrusted to Mario Cordone, Olimpio Ferrarotti and Vittorio Patanè. |
| 1971 -1978 | AsLiCo and the Teatro Lirico Sperimentale join forces in proposing one single National Competition. |
| 1982 | Daniela Dessì makes her debut as Flaminio in Flaminio by Pergolesi. |
| 1983 | AsLiCo joins the Lombardy Opera Circuit, and produces operas that circuit in the most important theatres of Lombardy: Como, Brescia, Cremona, Pavia, Bergamo, Mantova. These theatres offer further professional opportunities for young artists. |
| 1994 | The AsLiCo Competition opens to all citizens from European Community States. AsLiCo sets up EurOperaStudio with the aim of creating and promoting communication and programme sharing between European theatres that offer training activities for singers. The President is M° Bruno dal Bon. |
| 1996 | The AsLiCo Choir is born: M°Alfonso Caiani is the Choir master director. |
| 1997 | In collaboration with Regione Lombardia, AsLiCo starts a new educational project: Opera domani is a project for the production of operas aimed at a young scholar audience. Training courses for teachers and students precede the representations, that take place in the most important Italian cities. |
| 1998 | Don Giovanni project. An ambitious project that brings together young artists coming from all training centres that are part of EurOperaStudio. |
| 1999 | After the debut in Köln, Germany and in Vichy, France, the co-production continues the long tournée in Italy. |
| 2001 | After being hosted in different Italian theatres for many years, AsLiCo takes up residence at Teatro Sociale Como. |
| 2002 | VAll singers coming from European Countries are declared eligible for the AsLiCo Competition. The Theatre becomes permanent establishment of AsLiCo and its opera Seasons. |
| 2008 | Planning of the first edition of Festival Como Città della Musica. Barbara Minghetti is elected President of Teatro Sociale Como-AsLiCo. |
| 2013 | Celebrations for the 200 years of Teatro Sociale Como, inaugurated in 1813. Festival Como Città della Musica is relocated in the adjacent Arena restored for the occasion. |
| 2017 | Fedora Sorrentino is elected new President of Teatro Sociale Como-AsLiCo. |
| 2021 | Simonetta Sottocasa Roveda is elected new President of Teatro Sociale Como-AsLiCo. |