A pianist and musicologist, besides an intensive artistic activity, since 2006 Carla Cuomo has been tenured at the University of Bologna. Her dual training, in both Music and Musicology, is the result of a personal need to think about music in holistic terms. This approach led her to focus her research on the one hand on performance and the interpretation of music, in a historical perspective and with special regard to music criticism, and on the other hand on education and music teaching, paying special attention to the appreciation of art music. She has also recently undertaken studies in the field of Italian madrigals from the 16th and 17th centuries, the History of opera singing Pedagogy and Didactics methods, the Didactics of musical composition and creative sound processes.
Her scientific production is developed in five areas:
(1) the history of Twentieth Century Italian Music Criticism;
(2) Music Pedagogy and Didactics in relationships with Musicology and Educational Sciences, from both a modern and historical perspective (with a recent focus on the History of Pedagogy and Didactics methods in piano and opera singing, as well as the Didactics of musical composition and creative sound processes);
(3) "cultural studies" with attention to Acoustic Ecology;
(4) the Neapolitan madrigal between the Sixteenth and Seventeenth centuries.
In all studies, attention is focused on the ways of processing and transmitting musical knowledge, investigated from a compositional point of view or in the relationships between musical historical-critical specialism, dissemination and education and training.
Training
Following her initial musical studies at the Conservatoire and the award of her piano diploma in 1988, she pursued an intensive career as a concert pianist – a path she embarked upon at a very young age – in Italy, Europe, the United States and Asia. In the 1990s, she furthered her studies at the ‘Incontri col Maestro’ International Piano Academy in Imola, where she was awarded a postgraduate diploma in 1996. She graduated in Music and Performing Arts in 1997 from the School of Humanities and Cultural Heritage at the University of Bologna (formerly the Faculty of Humanities and Philosophy), and in 2004 she obtained a PhD in Musicology from the same university.
Academic career
She was an adjunct professor (2002-2013) for the University of Bologna, the University of Modena-Reggio Emilia and the University of Urbino. In 2006 she became a research fellow in Bologna University, in the sector L-ART / 07 Musicology and Music History, pertaining to the Department of Music and Performing Arts, which later became the Department of Media Visual Performative Arts and today the Department of the Arts, and the School of Letters and Cultural Heritage.
In 2020, she obtained national academic accreditation for the post of Associate Professor in the field of L-ART/07 Musicology and History of Music, now known as PEMM-01/C. In 2021, she was successful in the competition for the post of Associate Professor in the Department of Arts at the University of Bologna, a position she currently holds.
In 2023 she obtained the national scientific qualification for the role of Full Professor.
Didactic activity
Since 2004 she has consistently pursued her teaching activity, including a number of lessons for a Masters degree in Science and for a Masters degree at the School of Humanities and Cultural Heritage. She taugth History of Music III (’800) in the Bachelor degree course at the DAMS in Bologna University and also Music Pedagogy for the TFA‑Internship Training Active in the same University, in order to qualify for Music teaching in Italian schools.
He currently teaches three courses: one at Bachelor’s level and two at Master’s level: Fundamentals of Music Pedagogy (12 credits) for the Bachelor’s degree programme in DAMS – Arts, Music and Performing Arts; Music Pedagogy and Didactics (12 credits) and Listening Competences and Choreographic Writing – Education in Musical Comprehension (1) (6 credits), for the Master’s Degree Programme in Music and Theatre at the University of Bologna. He also coordinates in depth seminars on his specialist subjects within various teacher training courses.
Scientific activity
She has published studies in the following areas:
- on the Neapolitan madrigal between the Sixteenth and Seventeenth centuries: the edition by Giovan Domenico Montella, VI Libro de madrigali a cinque voci (1603), Lucca, LIM, 2023;
- on Italian music critics and criticism and its history, with particular regard to the 20th Century on Fedele d'Amico: Cronaca delle cronache (1931-1967), in Trent'anni dopo. Quel che dobbiamo a Fedele d'Amico, a cura di Annalisa Bini e Jacopo Pellegrini, Roma, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia (“L’Arte Armonica”. Serie III, Studi e Testi, 17), 2021, pp. 95-131; on Massimo Mila: Le métier d’intellectuel: Massimo Mila et la critique musicale dans la période 1928-1950, in La critique musicale au XXesiècle, sous la direction de Timothée Picard, Presses universitaires de Rennes, 2020, pp. 907-916; La “Breve storia della musica” di Massimo Mila, in Note. Lo stile della saggistica critica sulle arti II, «Polifemo», n. 19, 2020, pp. 53-74; Le matrici intellettuali di Massimo Mila, in «Musica/Realtà», n. 119 (luglio 2019), pp. 105-146; Massimo Mila e l’impegno: interazioni tra critica militante e musicologia dal dopoguerra agli anni Settanta, in Music Criticism 1950-2000, ed. by Roberto Illiano and Massimiliano Locanto, Turnhout, Brepols, pp. 95-122; Massimo Mila, The Prismatic Intellectual: An Archivial Case Study, «Fontes Artis Musicae», vol. 64/3, July‑Sept. 2017, pp. 276‑298; La pianta uomo. Letture verdiane di Massimo Mila, in Verdi. L’invenzione del vero, Rome, Treccani, 2013;
- on Music Pedagogy and Music Education: The quality of education in ECEC (0-6 years): The contribution of art music, in Proceedings of Teaching (Today for) Tomorrow: Bridging the Gap between the Classroom and Reality. 3rd International Scientific and Art Conference Faculty of Teacher Education, University of Zagreb (Zagreb, 26-27 September 2024), in cooperation with the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Section - The importance of art education for the cognitive, social, and emotional development of children and youth, Paper number 067, on-line: https://hub.ufzg.hr/books/book-of-abstracts-stoo4/page/quality-of-education-in-ecec-0-6-years-the-contribution-of-art-music; Didattica della musica, in Enciclopedia della musica contemporanea, a cura di S. Cappelletto, Roma, Treccani, 2025, pp. 76-79; Formazione musicale storica e culturale e didattica della composizione musicale e dei processi creativi sonori: un’ipotesi metodologica, in Arti, Linguaggi e Panorami educativi. Il sostegno dell’educazione musicale al raggiungimento delle competenze-chiave, a cura di Marco Morandi e Alessia Rosa, Pisa, ETS, 2025, pp. 123-136; L’educazione musicale artistica come fattore di qualità, in Classical Music in Education. Riflessioni e proposte. Reflexionen und Vorschläge, a cura di Paolo Somigli, Lucca, LIM, 2023, pp. 117-139; Storia di un giovane romantico in cammino: i “Gesellenlieder” di Gustav Mahler, in Musica e Poesia son due sorelle, a cura di N. Badolato e G. La Face, Milano, FrancoAngeli, 2023, pp. 268–294; Formazione culturale ed educazione musicale nella prima infanzia (0-6 anni), in «RELAdEI», n.10/1, 2021, pp. 29-43; Apprendere la Musica insieme alla Matematica: Doremat© tra sperimentazione, ricerca e didattica, in «Musica Docta», n. 9, 2019, pp. 173-201; Dall'ascolto all'esecuzione. Orientamenti per la Pedagogia e la Didattica della musica, Milano, FrancoAngeli, 2018; Music Education and Competences for Democratic Education, in Music, Fine Arts and Theatre in the Art Education of Children and Young Adults, The Karol Lipinsky Academy of Music in Wroclaw, Wroclaw, 2016, pp. 9‑23; L’Educazione musicale per formare alla cittadinanza, in Do Re Mat. La musica della matematica. Imparare la Matematica con la Musica, di A. Bianchi - C. Cuomo - G. Curti - D. Lentini – N. Magnani – R. Vagni, Modena, Digital Docet, 2015; Listening to and performing music with competence, in The transposition of musical knowledge in intellectual education, «Musica Docta. Rivista digitale di Pedagogia e Didattica della musica», special issue “Transmission of musical knowledge: Constructing a European Citizenship,” 2014, pp. 17-29;
- on Acoustic Ecology: Musica sostenibile. Politiche culturali, ambiente, comunità, qualità della formazione, a cura di Simone Caputo, Fulvia Caruso, Lorenzo Chiarofonte, Carla Cuomo, Giorgio Ruberti, Lucca, LIM, 2025 and, in that context, Educazione all’ascolto versus inquinamento musicale, in Musica sostenibile. Politiche culturali, ambiente, comunità, qualità della formazione, pp. 169-178; La prospettiva dell’ecologia acustica nella formazione musicale, in «Annales. Acta Academiae Scientiarum Instituti Bononiensis. Classis Scientiarum Moralium», 3,2025, pp. 123-125; Musica Urbana. Il problema dell’inquinamento musicale, Bologna, CLUEB, 2004.
She has been invited to speak at numerous national and international conferences. Among the latter, the following are worth mentioning, with the presentations listed here:
- 2025, relazione su La formazione musicale tra diritti culturali e patrimoni musicali, nel convegno internazionale "Risonanze", Dipartimento di Musicologia e Beni culturali, Cremona (7-8 novembre);
- 2024, relazione su L'educazione musicale artistica come fattore di qualità nella prima infanzia, nel convegno internazionale del CREAN - Children's Rights European Academic Network "The contributions of Scientific Research for Children's Rights", Bologna (16 aprile);
- 2024, relazione su The quality of education in ECEC (0-6 years): The contribution of art music nel Convegno internazionale "Teaching (Today for) Tomorrow: Bridging the Gap between the Classroom and Reality. 3rd International Scientific and Art Conference Faculty of Teacher Education", University of Zagreb (Zagreb, 26-27 September 2024), in cooperation with the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts;
- 2023, paper on Giovan Domenico Montella seen in the network of poetic choices, International study days on Carlo Gesualdo and the southern musicians of his time (11-12 December), Matera, University of Basilicata (paper on 11 December);
- 2023, paper on Importance of historical and cultural musical education in childhood, International Musicological Society Study Group on ‘Transmission of Knowledge as a Primary Aim in Music Education’, conference on Presentism and history in music education: what content for what future? (May 5th-6th), Catania University (paper on May 6th);
- 2021, paper on The formation of the critic's competence, International Conference on Music Criticism (November 30th, December 1st-2nd), IULM University, Milan (paper on November 30th);
- 2019, paper on Music Pedagogy in relations to Musicology and Educational Sciences: Three Areas of Intervention, International Conference Contemporary Themes in Education - CTE, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Teacher Education, Zagabria, 15-17 november, session The Perspectives of Contemporary Music Education (paper on November 16th);
- 2019, paper on Music Education and Democratic Education, First International Conference Education and Post-democracy, Scuola Democratica, Cagliari, 6-8 June, session Post-Democracy and the Field of Arts and Music Education (paper on June 7th);
- 2018, paper on DoReMat©: un nuovo progetto formativo per insegnare la matematica attraverso la musica, with Denise Lentini, International Congress Music as Cultural Education: Building New Bridges between Pre-College Schools and Universities, organized by Dipartimento delle Arti with the collaboration of Centro La Soffitta and the Cultural Association "Il Saggiatore musicale", in the context of the Study Group "Transmission of Knowledge as a Primary Aim in Music Education" inn the IMS - International Musicological Society, Bologna, 22-23 giugno 2018 (paper on June 23rd);
- 2017, paper on Massimo Mila tra critica musicale e musicologia negli “anni dell’impegno” (1965-1975), International Conference Music Criticism 1950-2000, organized by Institut d’Estudis Catalans and Centro Studi Opera Omnia Luigi Boccherini, Barcelona, 9-11 October (paper on October 11th);
- 2016, paper on Music Education and Competences for Democratic Education, in the International Scientific Conference Music, Fine Arts and Theatre in Education of Children and Youth, organized by The Karol Lipiński Academy of Music, Wroclaw, 4-5 November (paper on November 5th);
- 2016, paper on Archive Research in Musicology: The Case of “Massimo Mila Collection”, in the IAML ‑ Congress, organized by International Association of Music Libraries, Archives and Documentation Centres (IAML), with the collaboration of Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Rome 3-8 July, in the session Music research: Problems and methods (paper on July 7th);
- 2015, paper on Le métier d’intellectuel: Massimo Mila et la critique musicale dans la période 1928-1950, Journéé d’études internationale La critique musicale en Italie au XXe siècle et son public. Formes d'écriture et politiques de la réception, Paris, 5 Juin; organisée par le CELLAM – EA 3206 Université Rennes 2 – L’aixe histoire de l’EA 1573 Scènes du monde, Création, Savoirs critiques Université Paris 8, avec le soutien de l’Institut Universitaire de France, de la Maison de l’Italie-Cité internationale universitaire, et du Laboratoire d’études Romanes – EA 4385 Université Paris 8.
She recently participated in the following research projects:
La formazione del pubblico musicale in Italia dal XX secolo a oggi (Progetto PRIN – Bando 2017, The Education of Art Music Audiences in Italy from the Twentieth Century until today, con le Università di Roma Tre (capofila: responsabile scientifico: L. Aversano), Torino, Catania, oltre a Bologna;
The teaching of listening to music as an instrument of social inclusion (scientific manager Prof. G. La Face until 2018, N. Badolato from 2018), Almaidea 2017.
Institutional activities and academic positions
Formerly Professor of History of Music III (Nineteenth Century), at the Bologna University she is currently Professor of Music Pedagogy and Didactics in the DAMS - Disciplines of Arts, Music and Theater degree course and in the Master's Degree in Music and Theater.
She was a member of the following bodies of the Department of Arts, among others: the Department Board (2012-2018 and 2020-2021); the Teaching Commission (2016-2020); the Commission on the Third Mission (2018-2020).
She has been a member of the scientific commettee of the following bodies of the Department of Arts: La Soffitta, Theater Promotion Center (2008-2020); the Library of Arts (2016-2019); the Joint Staff-Student Committee (2020–2023).
Currently in the Department of Arts she has the following roles:
- member of the commission for evaluating applications relating to the Erasmus Plus Mobility for Internship Notice (since 2015);
- member of the joint teacher-student commission (again, since 2023);
- member of the Scientific Council of the Library of Arts (again, from 2023).
Membership in scientific committees and editorial boards and editorship of journals
Since 2024, he has been editor-in-chief of the musicological journal *Civiltà musicale*, which has enjoyed a distinguished history since 1987: https://www.logisma.it/sommariociv.htm.
Since 2020, she has been a member of the Steering Committee of the IMS (International Musicological Society) Study Group on “Transmission of Knowledge as a Primary Aim in Music Education” (chaired by G. La Face), and has been a member of this international research group since its foundation in 2012.
Since 2019, she has been a member of the Scientific Committee for the ‘Musical-mente’ series published by Armando in Rome.
Since 2019, she has been a member of the Scientific Committee for the ‘Ars musicalis. Musica, Musicologia e Didattica’ series published by LIM in Lucca.
Since 2014, she has been a member of the Scientific Committee for the series ‘Didattica generale e disciplinare’ published by FrancoAngeli in Milan.
Since 2011, she has been a member of the Scientific Committee for ‘Musica Docta. Online Journal of Music Pedagogy and Didactics’.
Prizes and Awards
2014 – She obtained a Stipendium from the Basel “Paul Sacher” Foundation for pursuing her research project on Massimo Mila.
Other activities
She is:
Member (elected) of the Board of Directors of ADUIM-Association of Italian University Music Teachers (three-year period: 2020-2023; re-elected in 2023): https://www.aduim.eu.
Member (elected) of the Board of Directors of the cultural association "Il Saggiatore musicale" (three-year period: 2020-2023; re-elected in 2023): https://www.saggiatoremusicale.it.
She was an (elected) member of the Board of Directors of the Athena Musica Association (three-year period: 2020-2023).
