With Maestro Muti’s musical lecture Università Cattolica renews the alliance between generations

A very special lecture for an inauguration ceremony. It was given on November 28 by Maestro Riccardo Muti with the Luigi Cherubini Youth Orchestra on the stage of a newly designed scenographic setup in the Aula Magna of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. “A lectio magistralis, in words and music, which embodies the very idea of knowledge passed down from generation to generation and brought alive through direct experience and dialogue between eras,” said Rector Elena Beccalli, introducing the inauguration ceremony for the 2025-2026 academic year, which was attended by various dignitaries, including the President of the Senate of the Republic Ignazio La Russa, the Vice-President of the Senate Licia Ronzulli, the Minister of University and Research Anna Maria Bernini, the President of the Lombardy Region Attilio Fontana, the Judge of the Constitutional Court Antonella Sciarrone Alibrandi, the Mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala, and the Prefect of Milan Claudio Sgaraglia.

The ceremony | Video

“This year again, we have decided to place a unified theme at the centre of the inauguration and dies academici: the alliance between generations,” said the rector in her speech, interrupted several times by applause. “A theme that will be explored from different disciplinary perspectives, emphasising the transmission of knowledge; active, inclusive and healthy ageing; and socio-economic policies to balance the needs of young and elderly people.”

The Minister of University and Research Anna Maria Bernini focused on this theme during her intervention: “History teaches us that true innovation arises from hybridisation between art and science. Our teachers have taught us that the first alliance is between disciplines, between universities and businesses, then between Italy, Europe and Africa, and finally between generations, which must be courageous, inclusive and permeable. For the first time in history, five generations coexist simultaneously: a novelty that brings life and new possibilities.” For Minister Bernini, “a teacher is someone who knows how to draw out talents in their students that they themselves are not even aware of, who educates them to love knowledge and teaches them what true freedom is. The combination of art, technology and higher education is the profound meaning of the alliance between generations.”

Amidst thunderous and prolonged applause from an enthusiastic audience, Riccardo Muti recalled the honorary degree awarded to him by Università Cattolica in 1999 and launched a memorable performance centred on the overture to Mozart’s Don Giovanni. With skilful musical emphasis, the Maestro retraced the paradox of a “dramma giocoso” that turns into a modern tragedy of rebellion against order.

“The task of a university,” said Professor Beccalli, “is not only to transmit techniques, but also to transmit knowledge through experience: this is the cultural value of education. There is no ranking capable of accurately measuring the effect of this new educational paradigm, just as it is not possible to verify the transmission of the cultural value of Italian opera. In both cases, however, their impact on society is visible. In fact, just as music is a form of civic participation, so universities are institutions called upon to educate informed and active citizens.”

The inaugural speech was also an opportunity to outline some key figures. This year, new enrolments reached 13,489, marking an increase in the number of students in master’s degree programmes. The strong presence of students from all continents is notable, with a 37% increase since 2021, reflecting the growing appeal of degrees in the global arena. The community now numbers 43,000 students, joined by almost 40,000 participants in continuing education programmes. On the research front, the University has received prestigious awards, including three ERC (European Research Council) grants funded in the 2025 call for proposals.