The Bergamo Conservatory was founded by the German composer Simon Mayr in 1805 with the name Lezioni Caritatevoli di Musica.
[1] Mayr was then working as the maestro di cappella of the Santa Maria Maggiore, Bergamo and the school was initially operated by that cathedral.
In 1958 the conservatory became a public institution under the management of the government of Bergamo at which point in time the school's name was changed to the Civico Istituto Musicale Gaetano Donizetti.
In 2016 the school moved to its present location in newly built headquarters in the Don Luigi Palazzolo.
In January 2023 the school merged with the Accademia Carrara to form the Politecnico delle Arti di Bergamo.