Start for the EMTC at the Außenalster campus
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Around ten days after the doors of the university closed for the summer semester, the Hamburg University of Music and Drama is welcoming what is probably the largest international science congress it has ever hosted.
From July 21 to 27, 2025 the 13th European Music Therapy Conference (EMTC) will gather experts from all over the world in Hamburg under the motto Bridges to discuss current developments, research findings and practical experiences in music therapy. More than 200 speakers from over 40 countries will present a top-class scientific program. Almost 1000 conference participants are expected, around 700 on site and a further 250 online.
With the 13th European Music Therapy Conference EMTC 2025, Germany wants to draw public attention to the long overdue legal regulation of all artistic therapies (in addition to music, art, dance and theater therapy).
The EMTC conference is one of the central forums for the international exchange of current research in the diverse fields of application of music therapy. Its umbrella organization, the European Music Therapy Confederation, represents 50 Music Therapy Associations in 32 countries. The conference takes place every three years at a European university with a music therapy institute, and this year the HfMT Hamburg is the proud host of this huge event in a three-way alliance with the Medical School Hamburg (MSH) - which has been offering a bachelor's program in music therapy for four years - and the professional and specialist association Deutsche Musiktherapeutische Gesellschaft (DMtG).
"Lunch talks"
From Wednesday, July 23 to Saturday, July 26, so-called "Lunch Talks" will take place in the orchestra studio at 12:30 p.m. in German, which are also open to the interested public. The lunchtime talks offer a platform for discussion and exchange between representatives from science and practice in music therapy, civil society, culture and health policy.
Topics of the lunchtime talks include music therapy for children and young people, for cancer and in palliative care, as well as in the context of mental health and neurological diseases.
The lunchtime talks are a good opportunity for anyone interested in music therapy to gain insights into current developments and research findings and to talk to experts.
The links to the livestream of the lunchtime talks are also available on the press page of the German Music Therapy Society.