The conservatory opened on 3 December 1804, as the Liceo Musicale di Bologna.

[1] It was initially housed in the convent at the Basilica of San Giacomo Maggiore.

Later directors of the school included Luigi Mancinelli (1881–1886), Giuseppe Martucci (1886–1902), Marco Enrico Bossi (1902–1911), and Cesare Nordio (1925–1945).

In 1945, the conservatory became a state conservatory, and it was rebranded as the Conservatorio Giovanni Battista Martini, after musician and composer Giovanni Battista Martini.

Directors of the conservatory from this point on include Guido Guerrini, Lino Liviabella, Adone Zecchi, Giordano Noferini, Lidia Proietti, Carmine Carrisi, and Donatella Pieri.