Project description:

The Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana is one of Switzerland’s leading music educational institution, founded in 1985 and affiliated since 2006 with the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI). Its University of Music trains approximately 300 students, nearly 80% of them from abroad, drawn from over 40 countries through one of the country’s most competitive auditions. More than 90% of graduates go on to build professional careers in music within a year of completing their studies.

Admission is based purely on talent and artistic potential — nothing else. Yet many of the most gifted students come from families who simply cannot afford several years of intensive professional training in Switzerland. That gap is precisely what the Fondazione Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana’s Students Aid Fund is designed to close: annual scholarships for University of Music students who combine genuine talent with genuine financial need. A dedicated committee reviews each candidate and ranks them by priority, ensuring that those facing the greatest hardship receive support first.

This is the FAIR Foundation’s flagship project in Switzerland. Since 2024, scholarships funded through this partnership have been awarded under the auspices of the FAIR Charitable Foundation of Andrey and Irina Rappoport — giving talented young musicians, regardless of their financial circumstances, the chance to complete their training at one of Switzerland’s most prestigious conservatoires.

Looking ahead, the Foundation intends to extend its support for the Conservatorio beyond scholarships. The design phase for Città della Musica is now complete and construction has begun on this new multifunctional music campus in Lugano, which will bring together training, performance, innovation and the preservation of musical heritage in one location. Partners already include the Orchestra della Svizzera italiana, RSI, Coro della RSI, I Barocchisti and Sonart. Backed by the City of Lugano, the Canton of Ticino and a growing number of private donors, the project is set to become the country’s leading centre for musical excellence — for Lugano and for Switzerland as a whole. Support for Città della Musica reflects the FAIR Foundation’s long-term commitment to the Conservatorio and to establishing Lugano as Switzerland’s principal music center.