Performances, workshops, educational activities, and community projects to nurture music and the art of listening

For centuries, the word Discovery has been associated with exploration, adventure, and groundbreaking achievements. It was the name of the ship that carried the English explorer James Cook on his final voyage in search of the Northwest Passage. It was the spacecraft in Stanley Kubrick’s cult film 2001: A Space Odyssey. It was the NASA Space Shuttle that launched the Hubble Space Telescope, transforming our understanding of the universe. For the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano, Discovery was also the title of one of its most beloved concert series, guiding audiences through the masterpieces of twentieth-century music.

Today, Discovery is the umbrella programme that brings together the wide range of educational, social, and community initiatives developed by the Foundation over the past twenty-five years. Designed for children, families, students, young people, older adults, and vulnerable individuals, it invites participants to explore the boundless universe of music and discover its power to inspire, connect, and enrich lives.
Discovery aims to be a point of reference for the entire community, offering family concerts, workshops for young children, educational projects in and for schools, choral and orchestral ensemble programmes for young musicians and amateurs, as well as activities in care homes and underserved neighbourhoods. Music becomes a powerful tool for learning, inclusion, social cohesion, and well-being, creating opportunities for participation beyond all barriers.
The programme includes the family concert series Crescendo in musica and  Musica da Cameretta, educational concerts and classroom projects for schools, community outreach initiatives in Milan’s peripheral districts, and innovative projects dedicated to cognitive well-being, including music activities in residential care facilities and in partnership with organisations supporting people living with dementia.
Particular attention is devoted to musical training through choral and orchestral programmes for children and young people, including Piccole Voci,  the Children’s Choir, Coro I Giovani di Milano,  the Orchestra Sinfonica Kids and the Orchestra Sinfonica Junior di Milano. Every year, these programmes involve more than 200 young participants. Adult amateur musicians are welcomed through the Amateur Orchestra  and the popular Singing for the Tone-Deaf course.
The Genesi – Generazione sinfonica project offers audiences under 35 affordable access to concerts together with introductory talks in informal settings. Music appreciation courses provide hundreds of participants with historical and stylistic insights into the symphonic repertoire, enriching their concert experience. 

All activities are developed with the scientific guidance of leading experts and partner organisations, including Fondazione Ravasi Garzanti and the Alzheimer Network of the Municipality of Milan.

The Discovery Programme and its many projects are made possible thanks to the support and collaboration of the Italian Ministry of Culture, Regione Lombardia, the Municipality of Milan, Intesa Sanpaolo, Banco BPM, Fondazione Monte di Lombardia, Fondazione Amplifon, Fondazione Pietro Pittini, and Fondazione Ravasi Garzanti.