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he Teatro Lirico Sperimentale di Spoleto was founded in 1947 by Adriano Belli, lawyer and musicologist, with the aim of initiating into the profession of opera those young people gifted with particular artistic qualities who, having completed their singing studies, had not yet made their debut. By welcoming the winners of the "Experimental" singing competition in Spoleto and starting them on a two-year course, they are given those elements that the school does not offer: not only preparation of the works but also preparation for the gesture, under the guidance of the directors and of the directors who stage the operas themselves in the introductory opera season.

The activity takes place in three phases: in March the Competition for young opera singers of the European Community takes place in Spoleto, during which an international jury selects the candidates from all over Europe among which only those who achieve an average of 8/ 10. The next phase includes a five-month debut preparation course during which various lessons are given: diction, mime, acting as well as vocal improvement. In the last period of preparation the students study the roles chosen by the Artistic Director for their debut. The Opera Season is the culmination of the preparation and usually takes place in Spoleto in September. The students receive a scholarship and live in Spoleto for the period of the course and the opera season. The choice of the works to be staged is based on the vocality of the winners, it being understood that for didactic reasons it is considered essential that the students face an opera from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, one from the nineteenth century, one from the twentieth. Many great names of international opera have won the "Experimental" competition, studied in Spoleto and debuted in the Institution's Opera Season, including Cesare Valletti, Franco Corelli, Antonietta Stella, Anita Cerquetti, Giangiacomo Guelfi, Ettore Bastianini, Anna Moffo, Gabriella Tucci, Marcella Pobbe, Rolando Panerai, Margherita Rinaldi, Franco Bonisolli, Giorgio Merighi, Leo Nucci, Ruggero Raimondi, Renato Bruson, Mietta Sighele, Veriano Luchetti, Salvatore Fisichella, Luciana D'Intino, Mariella Devia, Lucia Aliberti. In recent years Marcello Giordani, Natale De Carolis, Giusy Devinu, Elisabeth Norberg-Schulz, Giuseppe Morino, Monica Bacelli, Roberto Frontali, Nuccia Focile, Giuseppe Sabbatini. Only a few years ago Roberto De Candia, Sonia Ganassi, Norma Fantini, Manuela Kriscak, Nicola Ulivieri, Daniela Barcellona, ​​Andrea Papi, Monica Colonna, Marina Comparato. In the past, musicians such as Lina Cuscinà, Vincenzo Bellezza, Franco Capuana, Ottavio Ziino, Nino Rota, Giuseppe Bertelli, Alberto Paoletti, Luigi Ricci, Rolando Nicolosi, Carlo Ventura, Fernando Cavaniglia and for acting and movement have collaborated scenic Riccardo Picozzi, Carlo Piccinato, Tatiana Pavlova, Attilia Radice. In recent years for music education Anita Cerquetti, Enza Ferrari, Magda Olivero, Mietta Sighele, Gianpiero Taverna, Spiros Argiris, Massimo De Bernart, Giovanna Canetti, Bruno Aprea, Ivo Lipanovic, Vito Paternoster, Antonello Allemandi, Alfonso Scarano, Renato Bruson, Raina Kabaivanska, Marcello Panni, Bernadette Manca di Nissa, Carlo Palleschi. As part of the teaching activities, Carlo Bergonzi, Otto Edelman, Waldemar Kmentt, Renato Bruson, Natale De Carolis, Giovanna Canetti have collaborated for specific courses. For scenic movement and acting Italo Nunziata, Paolo Baiocco, Alvaro Piccardi, Lucio Gabriele Dolcini, Stefano Vizioli, Stefano Monti, Daniela Malusardi, Henning Brockhaus.

Prestigious directors collaborated on the occasion of the Experimental Opera Season, including Luca Ronconi (1994: Ligeia - Anacleto Morones), Ugo Gregoretti (1983 and 1995: L'Elisir d'amore - 1984: The Barber of Seville), Gigi Proietti (1985 : Don Pasquale - 1986: The Marriage of Figaro), Giorgio Pressburger (1990: The Bat - 1993: Tragèdie de Carmen - 1996: Lost for Lost, The Happy Deception), Alvaro Piccardi (1987: The Telephone - Mahagonny -1988: Cosi fan tutte - 1990: Morte dell'aria - Lighea - 1994: La Bella Verità - 1995: La Bohème), Giancarlo Cobelli (1984: Mavra - 1985: Orfeo ed Euridice - 1987: Il Mercato di Malmantile - 1989: Simon Boccanegra - 1990: La Bohème), Sandro Sequi (1995: The Secret Marriage), Piera Degli Esposti (1996: The Night of a Neurasthenic - Suor Angelica - 1998 : Words in the Dark), Stefano Monti (1996:Falstaff - 1998: Werther), Franco Ripa di Meana (1998: Don Giovanni - 1999: Le Nozze di Figaro), Henning Brockhaus (1999: Tosca - 2000: Midea2), Denis Krief (2001: Carmen), Lucio Gabriele Dolcini (2004 : The Marriage of Figaro – 2005: Cleopatra - 2006: Didone Abbandonata – 2007: Il Trovatore), Giorgio Pressburger (2001: The Secret of Susanna and Cavalleria Rusticana – 2004: The Italian Girl in Algiers – 2006: The Barber of Seville), Ugo Gregoretti (2002: The country philosopher), Gabbris Ferrari (2005: Lucia di Lammermoor), Pippo Delbono (2007: Obra Maestra), Alessio Pizzech (2006: La dirindina va a teatro – 2007: Dirindina e Pimpinone – 2008: La Cinderella), Marco Carniti (2008: Rigoletto), Giorgio Bongiovanni (2008: Don Falcone).Denis Krief (2001: Carmen), Lucio Gabriele Dolcini (2004: The Marriage of Figaro – 2005: Cleopatra - 2006: Didone Abbandonata – 2007: Il Trovatore), Giorgio Pressburger (2001: The Secret of Susanna and Cavalleria Rusticana – 2004: L 'Italiana in Algiers – 2006: The Barber of Seville), Ugo Gregoretti (2002: The Country Philosopher), Gabbris Ferrari (2005: Lucia di Lammermoor), Pippo Delbono (2007: Obra Maestra), Alessio Pizzech (2006: La dirindina goes to the theater – 2007: Dirindina and Pimpinone – 2008: La Cenerentola), Marco Carniti (2008: Rigoletto), Giorgio Bongiovanni (2008: Don Falcone).Denis Krief (2001: Carmen), Lucio Gabriele Dolcini (2004: The Marriage of Figaro – 2005: Cleopatra - 2006: Didone Abbandonata – 2007: Il Trovatore), Giorgio Pressburger (2001: The Secret of Susanna and Cavalleria Rusticana – 2004: L 'Italiana in Algiers – 2006: The Barber of Seville), Ugo Gregoretti (2002: The Country Philosopher), Gabbris Ferrari (2005: Lucia di Lammermoor), Pippo Delbono (2007: Obra Maestra), Alessio Pizzech (2006: La dirindina goes to the theater – 2007: Dirindina and Pimpinone – 2008: La Cenerentola), Marco Carniti (2008: Rigoletto), Giorgio Bongiovanni (2008: Don Falcone).The Barber of Seville), Ugo Gregoretti (2002: The Country Philosopher), Gabbris Ferrari (2005: Lucia di Lammermoor), Pippo Delbono (2007: Obra Maestra), Alessio Pizzech (2006: La dirindina va a teatro – 2007: Dirindina and Pimpinone – 2008: La Cinderella), Marco Carniti (2008: Rigoletto), Giorgio Bongiovanni (2008: Don Falcone).The Barber of Seville), Ugo Gregoretti (2002: The Country Philosopher), Gabbris Ferrari (2005: Lucia di Lammermoor), Pippo Delbono (2007: Obra Maestra), Alessio Pizzech (2006: La dirindina va a teatro – 2007: Dirindina and Pimpinone – 2008: La Cinderella), Marco Carniti (2008: Rigoletto), Giorgio Bongiovanni (2008: Don Falcone).
The Teatro Lirico Sperimentale also collaborates with some of the major Italian opera houses: in 1991 "La Cenerentola" presented in the Opera Season in Spoleto was revived and included in the program of the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome; (Director Bruno Aprea, directed by Italo Nunziata); in 1994, in collaboration with the Teatro Comunale of Florence, the opera “La Bella Verità” was created, presented both at the Ente Lirico of Florence and at the Teatro Caio Melisso in Spoleto; the collaboration with the Teatro Comunale in Florence continued in 1996 with the diptych ”Perso per perso” by Guido Baggiani and “L'Iganno Felice” by G. Rossini (Conductor Enrique Mazzola, directed by Giorgio Pressburger). Collaborations are also underway with the Teatro Comunale of Bologna, the Stadttheater of Klagenfurt and the Teatro dell'Opera of Rome, the Sferisterio Arena in Macerata, National Theater in Rome, (Midea2 by Oscar Strasnoy, year 2001). Since 1993, the Teatro Lirico Sperimentale has expanded its field of action in the field of musical teaching and training by organizing courses for collaborating teachers, courses for technicians and piano tuners. The "Experimental" also organized from 1993 to 2006 the international competition for new works of chamber music theater "Orpheus", dedicated to Luciano Berio who was president of the international jury from the first edition until his death. The winning opera of each edition was presented in world premiere in Spoleto as part of the Opera Season. In 1995 the Experimental Lyric Theater, after a Professional Qualification Course for Orchestra Professors, he also gave birth to OTLiS, the Orchestra of the Experimental Lyric Theater of Spoleto. Under the guidance of highly qualified teachers (Francesco Manara, Luciano Giuliani, Paolo Centurioni, Angelo Persichilli, Umberto Benedetti Michelangeli, Spiros Argiris, Massimiliano Stefanelli, Romolo Gessi, Carlo Palleschi, Massimo De Bernart, Bruno Aprea), the students, young graduate instrumentalists, after a national selection they face two months of study in Spoleto and subsequently perform the works of the Opera Season both in Spoleto and in the Regional Opera Season (Perugia, Terni, Orvieto, Todi, Città di Castello).

The courses for orchestra teachers were also implemented in the following years, always in collaboration with the Umbria Region and the European Social Fund and since 1996 they have been extended to young instrumentalists of the European Community. In 1992, the Institution received the "Kaleidoscope" Award for culture from the Commission of the European Communities and the prestigious "Abbiati Award" in 1994of the Italian Music Critics "for the assiduous contribution to the training of new interpreters and the conception and realization of the Orpheus International Competition". In May 1999, the production of Don Giovanni from the 1998 Experimental Opera Season received the special mention of the Pier Luigi Samaritani Prize for the sets designed by Roberta Lazzeri. In 2001, the National Association of Italian Music Critics awarded Denis Krief the Abbiati Critics Prize for directing "Carmen" which the French director signed for the Teatro Lirico Sperimentale in the 2000 Opera Season. In 2001 the Teatro Lirico Sperimentale realized a major project of European scope: the reworking and orchestral transcription of Bach's "The Art of Fugue", coordinated by Luciano Berio. the initiative, approved and co-financed by the European Commission, which decreed it a "European Cultural Event". The project led to five performances in four countries - Italy, England, France and the Netherlands - with an orchestral staff made up of about 40 elements from the main European musical schools: the Conservatory of Turin, the Conservatoire National Supérieur del Musique et de Danse of Lyon, the Koninklijk Conservatorium in The Hague, the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Leipizig, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. The direct involvement in the executive production of renowned European composers, such as Luis De Pablo, Louis Andriessen, Betsy Jolas, Gilberto Bosco, Aldo Clementi, Fabio Nieder, Michele Tadini and Fabio Vacchi, has contributed to underlining the international relevance of the project.

At the "Centro Studi-Belli Argiris", historical archive and media library of the Teatro Lirico Sperimentale, there is a rich music library and a well-stocked audio-video library dedicated to opera.

The Teatro Lirico Sperimentale has been a guest with concerts and operas not only in Italy but also in Austria (Vienna, 1994), Spain (Barcelona, ​​1996), the United States (New York 1996 and 2009, Los Angeles 2005), Switzerland (Bern 1996) , Canada (Vancouver 2002, Toronto 2010), Hungary (Budpest 2002, Budapest and Miskolc 2006), Germany (Schwetzingen 2003 and 2010, Salzau 2005), Poland (Tczew 2003), China (Beijing and Tangshan 2004, Beijing and Shenyang 2006, Beijing, Xi'an, Nanjing 2010, Shanghai 2010 and 2012), Japan (Osaka, Tokyo, Sapporo, Ina, Hiroshima, Kobe, Nagoya, Oita, Morioka, Matsudo, Fukuoka, Tokorozawa, Chigasaki, Musashino 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008), Russia (St. Petersburg 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014), Qatar (Doha 2007, 2008), Romania (Bucharest, Sibiu 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010), Cuba (Havana 2008), Turkey (Istanbul 2010,Istanbul and Bursa 2011), South Africa (Pretoria 2010), Great Britain (London 2011), Netherlands (Utrecht 2012).

In 2009, in Turin, the Institution was awarded the Culture Management Award for the management, valorisation and promotion policies of cultural assets and activities. In addition to the activity carried out by the institution in its 63-year history, the award relates to the promotion of opera abroad, with particular reference to the year 2008.
Motivation of the Jury: The activity carried out by the Teatro Lirico Sperimentale di Spoleto has the merit of knowing how to valorise our young talents in the field of Opera, offering them the concrete possibility of perfecting themselves in the studio and making their debut in the theatre. Innovative feature of the project of the Experimental Lyric Theater of Spoleto “A. Belli" is above all the research and the "creation" of new international catchment areas, in order to create a "virtuous circle" of diffusion of the Italian cultural heritage in one of its greatest expressions, the Opera Lirica, universally recognised, appreciated and sought after, offering cultural products of high quality and professional value.

In 2011, the Teatro Lirico Sperimentale of Spoleto, commissioned by Valle Umbra Servizi Spa, created an advertising spot on the theme of separate waste collection, inspired by the opera. The commercial receives two of the most important Italian awards for the creation of advertising and communication campaigns: - the Mediastars XVI Edition Award, 1st classified for the Audiovisual Technical section, Educational category, special star (technical recognition) for the Copy.
- the Agorà Award, for the best social campaign of the Umbria Region, with the following motivation: An amusing message which, through the language of opera, involves users in the use of the new separate waste collection system.

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