ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

On Sunday, March 30, we will make our debut in the main hall of the Elbphilharmonie. The HfMT Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Ulrich Windfuhr, will perform the concert version of Richard Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos and accompany Michaela Kaune and Daniel Behle in the roles of Ariadne and Bacchus.

"Not an either-or, but a both-and: at the heart of the opera Ariadne auf Naxos is the playful overcoming of opposites, the ironic rejection of comfortable alternatives and the resounding mockery of musical fears of contact. The clash of artistic worlds and ideas is productively suspended in a firework display of persiflage and subtle (self-)criticism. For this reason alone, hardly any opera could be better suited to the 75th anniversary of the Hamburg University of Music and Drama." This is how Prof. Dr. Louis Delpech describes Ariadne in the introduction to our program booklet.

The rows are already well filled, but we have no objection to a completely sold-out house and are looking forward to this joint start to the anniversary semester.

Festive concert Ariadne auf Naxos on March 30 at the Elbphilharmonie

After the big celebratory concert in the Elphi, we will deliberately focus on the students with their current topics and individual personal perspectives on April 3. The university is undergoing a process of change and is reflecting on its position in a rapidly changing world. Students play a central role in this process. We want to get to the bottom of this.

Together with the experienced radio presenter Charlotte Oelschlegel - Almuna of the university from the Institute of Culture and Media Management - we will look through the kaleidoscope of the HfMT in 2025. With a varied artistic program by our students, we will draw a multi-faceted picture of our university, provide insights into current discourses, enter into conversation and create space for questions about "Where from/where to?" based on music, theater, pedagogy, therapy, science and cultural management in the mirror of our time.

We still have a few guest tickets left for this event. If you would like to celebrate with us, please send a quick email to veranstaltungen@hfmt-hamburg.de. Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

75 years of HfMT - Feta event on April 3

Sofia Gubaidulina, a great personality of contemporary music, passed away on March 13. The Russian-Tatar composer created works of emotional depth and spiritual power with which she was able to captivate many people, companions and colleagues. She exerted an important influence on the music world for many decades.
Simon Rattle said of her that she was like a "flying hermit" because she was always "in orbit and only occasionally visits terra firma. Every now and then she comes to us on earth and brings us light and then goes back to her orbit."

We are glad that we already had her violin concerto Offertorium, dedicated to Gidon Kremer, on the program of our symphony concert and can thus express our sincere admiration for this exceptional composer.

The soloist is Asiia Garipova, concert exam student from the violin class of Prof. Tanja Becker-Bender

Symphony concerts on April 9 and 10

Once again, our young directors have the chance to conquer the neighborhood and storm the St. Pauli Theater. Since 2005, host Ulrich Waller has made his theater available to the directing students of the Theaterakademie. Kiezstürmer - Das Festival der jungen Regisseur:innen is a platform where students can realize their ideas on a classical stage shortly before graduating.

The plays play with the genres, boldly and surprisingly reinterpret literary models and also deal with old, familiar stylistic devices. And in all of this, they are always on the lookout for new forms of intelligent entertainment.

Kiezstürmer on April 12 and 13

The Lucas Etcheverria Trio meets a true icon of contemporary jazz:
Kurt Rosenwinkel.

This brilliant match is thanks to the artist-in-residence project as part of the Dr. Langner Jazzmaster. In their third semester, the Master's students are given the unique opportunity to invite renowned guest artists and work with them to further develop their own artistic ideas in a real musical process and bring them to the stage.

Kurt Rosenwinkel is a formative source of inspiration and a musical role model for Etcheverria. With his unmistakable sound aesthetics, the band will bring the evening to a fascinating dialog between two generations. The band will present their own compositions as well as creative interpretations of standards and contemporary jazz sounds with different combinations of two guitars. The focus will be on the trio's musical profile as well as Rosenwinkel's music and masterful artistry.

Lucas Etcheverria Trio and Kurt Rosenwinkel on April 17th

The Feminale team is presenting the third edition of its festival for female composers, their history and their music with overwhelming good humor, astonishing assertiveness, constantly blossoming creative power and an inexhaustible wealth of ideas (yes - that has to be said!).

The 12 events from April 23 to 26 invite you to discover compositions by women from all eras and styles. Students, teachers and alumni will perform and present in large and small formations in all the HfMT halls.

Come, be amazed, celebrate with us!
FeminaleFestival from April 23 to 26

Attentive readers will have noticed that this request has been repeated here.
As we are still missing a few beds, we are hopefully renewing our appeal to potential hostel parents and would also like to thank all those who have already offered a place to sleep.

We are expecting a lot of guests in July when the 13th European Music Therapy Conference EMTC 2025 takes place at the HfMT Hamburg under the beautiful motto "Bridges". Around 600 participants will exchange views on current topics in music therapy research and practice in numerous lectures, workshops, panels and round tables.

We are looking for private accommodation for music therapy colleagues from low-income European countries or for the 60 student assistants and look forward to your support. If you can offer a free guest bed in the period between July 22 and 27, 2025, please contact us promptly by replying to this newsletter.

As always, there is more to discover in addition to our recommendations. As usual, you can find the complete program in our Calendar of Events