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About US
Discover our history, mission and the values that guide our commitment to preserving and promoting opera singing as a universal cultural heritage.
Our Story, Our Passion
Discover who we are, where we come from, and where we’re headed in our mission to preserve and promote opera singing as a universal cultural heritage.
The Committee for the Safeguarding of Italian Opera Singing is passionately dedicated to the promotion and preservation of opera singing in Italy, an artistic expression of immense value. Founded with the aim of supporting this artistic heritage, CO.SA.CLI works to monitor, safeguard, and keep this practice alive, both by reaching an increasingly broad and diverse audience and by protecting the roots and traditions that make it a profound and representative part of our culture. We envision a world where the practice of opera singing—as a means of free artistic expression and dialogue—is a powerful vehicle for peace.
Our journey began with a small group of professionals and enthusiasts who understood that opera singing was not merely a lofty artistic-musical expression, but a genuine heritage of knowledge, practices, customs, traditions, history, and identity.
Our current focus is on designing a series of initiatives for dialogue, discussion, monitoring, and in-depth study, both informative and educational, including international collaborations. We will focus on the vast community of owners and practitioners of this property and the diverse cultural expressions and material heritage associated with it. Our constant goal will remain to support, defend, disseminate, and revive this wonderful art form that gives voice to the human body and soul, a stunning example of human creativity.
Institutional and Private Support
Together with our partners, we are shaping the future of opera singing.
Learn more about the associations, foundations, and institutions that support and collaborate with us in this noble cultural mission.
Our mission to promote and preserve opera singing as a vital cultural expression and intangible heritage would not be possible without the support and collaboration of numerous associations, foundations, and institutions. These organizations share our passion for opera and are crucial to the success of our initiatives. Thanks to their contributions, we are able to organize national and international events, develop innovative educational programs, and support young talents in the field of opera singing. Their support goes beyond financial aid, encompassing human resources, technical skills, and networks that enrich our work and amplify our impact.
Each partner plays an irreplaceable role in our journey: from associations that represent opera artists and promote their work, to foundations that invest in preserving musical traditions and supporting new generations, to institutions that facilitate international cultural collaborations. Together, we form a community committed to the celebration and renewal of opera singing, ensuring that it remains a source of beauty, inspiration, and intercultural understanding. We gratefully acknowledge their commitment and vision, which allow opera singing to flourish and reach ever-wider audiences. It is thanks to these collaborations that we look to the future with optimism, ready to carry on our mission with renewed strength and determination.
The Road to UNESCO Recognition
Discover the inspiring journey that led to the recognition of Italian opera singing as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity—a path of passion and dedication uniting culture, art, and community.
The candidacy process was led and coordinated by Dr. Elena Sinibaldi from the UNESCO Office of the Ministry of Culture, through meticulous documentation and research carried out by a multidisciplinary team of experts (opera singers, musicologists, historians, composers, directors, phoniatrists).
A thorough analysis of the art of opera singing revealed how deeply embedded it is in Italian cultural history and how complex and diverse its community of reference is. This practice is the immaterial root of the operatic tradition itself.
The multidisciplinary potential of this practice extended to various fields of study, including linguistics, dramaturgy, literature, comparative studies, anthropology, sociology, the history of civilizations, architecture, philosophy, art history, intermediality, physiology, medicine, and technology.
2011–2021: A Decade of Commitment
The story of the candidacy dossier, which led Italy to nominate “The Practice of Opera Singing in Italy” as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2022, is above all a testimony to a unique and unifying sociocultural journey. In 2011, when the process began, the opera community was not so much divided as unconnected, lacking the network that could only emerge through collective awareness. That same year, opera singers formed the CPI (Professional Opera Singers of Italy), an association aimed at uniting the category and enabling professional dialogue, including labor-related concerns. But at the top of CPI's statutory mission (Art. 2) was the defense and promotion of music, and specifically of opera, as a cultural treasure of the Italian Republic. It was this internal dialogue that lit the first spark, which would need over a decade to ignite a proper, community-supported candidacy process.
In 2013, interactions with ministry offices and the Italian National Commission for UNESCO (CNIU) began, led by soprano Micaela Carosi and a group of visionary and passionate artists. They drafted a pioneering version of the dossier titled “Italian Opera, from the Origins to a European Path,” which did not pass national review in 2014. However, a collective drive toward a shared goal had taken root—one based on diverse perspectives, but emotionally compelling and widely shared.
In subsequent years, the recognition of opera singing as Intangible Heritage gained visibility in public forums. It was the association Assolirica—born from CPI and now including all opera professionals—that in 2019 began organizing the effort.
Thanks to close cooperation between a working group and the UNESCO Office of the Ministry of Culture, and under the leadership of soprano Rosanna Savoia (then president of Assolirica), the candidacy took shape. A wide variety of stakeholders, including ANFOLS (National Association of Italian Opera-Symphony Foundations), gradually joined forces.
This initiative is unprecedented in the sector, as it brought together professional categories that often represent opposing interests contractually, yet here joined forces. This alliance was formalized in early 2022 with the establishment of the Committee for the Safeguarding of the Art of Italian Opera Singing.
2022 - 2023
Intermediate Steps
Intergovernmental Committee of UNESCO
In March 2022, the Board of Directors of the Italian National Commission for UNESCO approved the dossier and submitted it to the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee. The Committee requested further clarification and additions, which were addressed by the Committee for the Safeguarding of the Art of Italian Opera Singing. As part of this process, the element was renamed “The Practice of Opera Singing in Italy.” The dossier described all the intangible, historical-artistic, and performative elements that comprise this living heritage.
December 2023
Mission Accomplished!
UNESCO recognition
On December 6, 2023, the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee officially recognized "Italian Opera Singing" as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Document Archive
Explore and download our project documentation
Our documentation section provides immediate access to detailed materials illustrating the various phases and dimensions of our opera singing preservation project. Here you will find PDFs covering everything from initial research and project proposals to final reports and the materials used for the UNESCO nomination. Each document is carefully prepared to offer transparency and insight into our work. This resource is ideal for researchers, students, music enthusiasts, and anyone interested in understanding the dynamics and efforts behind the recognition of opera singing as intangible heritage.
We invite you to freely explore and download these documents.
