Università Cattolica inaugurates the academic year with a lectio magistralis by Maestro Riccardo Muti

On Friday 28 November, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore will inaugurate the 2025-2026 academic year in Milan with a lectio magistralis by Maestro Riccardo Muti. The main topic for the ceremonies of the 2025-2026 academic year will be 'The alliance between generations'.

'The alliance between generations' is the main topic at the heart of the inaugural ceremony and will be featured, in various forms, in the dies academici at all the University campuses. In particular, at the Milan campus, the topic will be addressed from the perspective of the transmission of knowledge.

The ceremony will begin at 9.15 a.m. in the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio with the Eucharistic celebration presided over by Mgr. Mario Delpini, Archbishop of Milan.

At 11:00 a.m., in the Aula Magna of the University (Largo Gemelli 1), Rector Elena Beccalli will deliver the keynote address.

This will be followed by greetings from Mgr. Mario Delpini, in his capacity as President of the Giuseppe Toniolo Institute for Higher Education, and a speech by the Minister of University and Research, Anna Maria Bernini.

The morning will continue with a lectio magistralis through general rehearsal conducted by

Maestro Riccardo Muti with the Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini.

The ceremony will also be live-streamed and visible on the www.unicatt.it website and on social media pages @unicatt.

Riccardo Muti, biography

He was born in Naples where he studied piano under Vincenzo Vitale, graduating with honours from the Conservatorio di San Pietro a Majella, the conservatory of the city. He continued his studies at the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi in Milan, under the guidance of Bruno Bettinelli and Antonino Votto, where he obtained a diploma in Composition and Conducting.

In 1967, he won the prestigious Cantelli International Conducting Competition in Milan - by unanimous vote of the jury –; this allowed him to first come to the attention of both the critics and the public. The following year, he was appointed first conductor of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, a position he held until 1980. In 1971, Muti was invited by Herbert von Karajan to conduct at the Salzburg Festival, starting a cherished tradition that led to the celebration of fifty years of artistic collaboration with the Austrian event in 2020. In the 1970s, he was chief conductor of the London Philharmonia Orchestra (from 1972 to 1982) succeeding Otto Klemperer. From 1980 to 1992, he inherited the position of Music Director of the Philadelphia Orchestra from Eugene Ormandy.

From 1986 to 2005, he was Music Director of the Teatro alla Scala: his work as director gave shape to projects of international scope, such as the Mozart-Da Ponte Trilogy and Wagner Ring Cycle. Alongside the classics of the repertoire, other lesser-known composers were brought to light: precious pieces from the 18th-century Neapolitan school and operas by Gluck, Cherubini, Spontini. This also includes Poulenc’s Les dialogues des Carmélites, which earned him the Abbiati Prize from the critics. His long tenure as Music Director at the Teatro alla Scala culminated on 7 December 2004 in the triumphant reopening of the restored theatre, where he conducted Antonio Salieri's Europa riconosciuta.

To read the complete biography, please visit the Maestro's official website: www.riccardomuti.com.