Bereichsnavigation
Emanuele Marconi becomes the new director of the Musical Instrument Museum of the State Institute for Music Research
Press release from 06/18/2024
Italian musicologist, restorer and curator with international experience in museum work takes over from Conny Restle on 15 July
The Musical Instrument Museum of the State Institute for Music Research is getting a new director. The musicologist, restorer and curator Emanuele Marconi will take over from Conny Restle, who retired at the end of 2023, on 15 July. The Italian-born 44-year-old is currently Director and Curator at Le Musée des Instruments à vent (Musée des France) in La Couture-Boussey. He previously worked at museums in Vermillion (United States), Geneva, Paris and Milan.
Emanuele Marconi studied restoration of musical instruments at the Civica Scuola di Luteria violin-making school in Milan and then musicology and history in Cremona, Bologna and Paris, where he obtained his doctorate at the Sorbonne. The use of new media is a focal point of his work as a curator. Emanuele Marconi has acquired extensive expertise in a wide range of musical instruments, ideally combining organology and restoration research in the museum. He has achieved great success in his work to date with new approaches to educational work. His aim is to significantly increase the attractiveness of collections of historical instruments, especially for a younger audience.
"I am delighted that we have succeeded in recruiting Emanuele Marconi, a candidate with an excellent international reputation, for the Musical Instrument Museum. This shows how attractive the building at the Kulturforum is with its important collection. With Emanuele Marconi, we will succeed in repositioning the museum in the music city of Berlin," says SPK President Hermann Parzinger.
The Director of the State Institute for Music Research, Rebecca Wolf, emphasises: "In Emanuele Marconi, we have gained a museum director who is characterised by a wealth of experience and convincing ideas for the future of our museum. He brings with him international experience in restoration as well as in the management of a museum, is very well networked, active in ICOM and in provenance research, which has become increasingly topical, especially in the field of musical instruments. He will be a great asset to the diverse tasks of our institution within the SPK network. We warmly welcome him to the SIM!"
Emanuele Marconi says: "I am deeply honoured to have been appointed Director of the Musical Instrument Museum, an outstanding institution with a history of more than 130 years. It will be a pleasure to start working with a great team of colleagues who are facing the challenges of a museum in the 21st century. I want to continue the legacy of my predecessor, increase the international presence of the MIM and work on the common goals with the State Institute for Music Research in terms of material culture, scientific research and performance practice. We want to reach new groups of visitors with a variety of formats. It's about a museum that is open, accessible and inclusive for everyone."
The Musical Instrument Museum of the State Institute for Music Research collects musical instruments of European art music from the 16th to the 21st century. The museum currently has around 3,600 instruments in its collection, many of which are in playable condition. In terms of its diversity, the collection is one of the most representative in Germany. A good 800 instruments from five centuries are on permanent display. The museum also organises numerous events, from scientific symposia and concerts on historical instruments to workshops for schools and day-care groups and regular participation in the Long Night of Museums.
Press photos:
