Laura Gorna is a faculty member at the “G. Verdi” Conservatory in Milan, Italy.

"My passion for teaching was certainly passed down to me by my mother, who was a composer and teacher at the “G. Verdi” Conservatory in Milan.


Besides the strict discipline she used to impose on her students, what really struck me about her was the desire to dig deep within the pupil’s mind, trying to identify the keys that would ignite interest and passion for a difficult, yet extremely important subject: solfège and the basics of harmony.

Teaching an instrument implies a one-to-one relationship; but, besides the relationship with the teacher, it is equally important for a pupil to feel part of a class that gradually becomes a “family”, with its balances, imbalances, turmoil, confrontations and clashes.

On this matter, I like to quote the greatest teacher of the twentieth century, Nadia Boulanger, who is a constant source of inspiration:

«Find the relationship between things. Match music with contemporary people and events. Share ideas on the subjects you know. It is the students, not the teacher, who make the class».

Nadia Boulanger also said, «Like or dislike are the only honest answers. “I don't know” is unacceptable. Everyone can make a mistake when judging a piece of work, but it is unforgivable to have a weak opinion of it, or no opinion at all. »

Being able, therefore, to understand and help students recognise what they think and who they wish to become, and to give them the opportunity to express themselves: this is the greatest satisfaction for me.”

Beethoven: Presente!

In the year that marked the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven, the city of Cremona also paid tribute to the great composer with "Beethoven: Presente!", a project conceived by Laura Gorna and developed in collaboration with Salvatore Accardo and the Monteverdi Conservatory.

The project allowed the best students of the Conservatory to delve into Beethoven's ten sonatas for violin and piano, through a teaching program that started in the autumn of 2019 under the guidance of Laura Gorna and with the collaboration of Maestro Yevgeni Galanov and Giorgio Lazzari (a student from the "G. Donizetti" Conservatory in Bergamo).

A year later, each student was given the opportunity to improve one Sonata during a 2-day masterclass with Salvatore Accardo, held in Cremona in November 2020. A present from Salvatore Accardo to the city of Cremona and its young musicians, the masterclass was streamed on the media channels of Corriere della Sera and the Monteverdi Conservatory. Thousands of people were thus able to watch it, taking part in a unique moment of artistic and professional growth for the young musicians.

"Beethoven: Presente!" does not stop here: the ten Sonatas will be also performed live at the Ponchielli Theatre in Cremona, during a series of concerts that will finally bring the music back to the audience, and the protagonists of the masterclass back on stage.

The concert dates are still to be defined and will be announced soon. In the meantime, you can watch the masterclass with Salvatore Accardo here:

Beeethoven: Presente! A masterclass with Salvatore Accardo