Halfway round the globe

Around half of the students at the Academy of Music Hanns Eisler come to Berlin from the rest of the world. Not only the excellence of the training and the Academy's numerous international contacts influence their choice - the city of Berlin is part of their motivation too. The unique wealth of cultural events, the creative atmosphere and the constant interchange between different cultures and the arts make the city a particularly inspiring place for musicians. The Academy of Music Hanns Eisler is not only geographically in the heart of Berlin - boasting some 400 public events per year it is also an inseparable part of the cultural landscape.

On the wider stage

Class recitals, concert series such as the Excellence Concerts under the patronage of Daniel Barenboim, graduate concerts, chamber music, concerts by the Academy's various ensembles, opera and music theatre productions - the events offered by the Academy of Music Hanns Eisler are important fixtures both for the general public and for the students. Practical orientation and stage experience are central aspects of the training. Thanks to the Academy's many high-level collaborations, the young instrumentalists, conductors, singers, directors and composers have the opportunity to work together with outstanding orchestras and theatres, for example the Berlin Philharmonic, the Konzerthaus Orchestra Berlin, the Komische Oper Berlin or the Staatsoper Unter den Linden.

With outstanding artists

Orchestral workshops and the INTERAKTION conductors' workshop with the Critical Orchestra provide unique learning opportunities: In the public orchestral workshops the Academy students work with great conductors of our time: Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Daniel Barenboim, Kent Nagano, Christian Thielemann, Seiji Ozawa, Zubin Mehta and frequently Sir Simon Rattle. The INTERAKTION conductors' workshop with the Critical Orchestra, which is made up of musicians from top orchestras, turns the everyday situation in an orchestra on its head. The musicians give tips and explain what they expect from a conductor regarding the ability to shape, form and inspire. Lasting impressions are also created by internationally renowned artists such as Midori, Thomas Quasthoff and many others in themed masterclasses.

Classical, New Music, Jazz, Music Theatre

Alongside classical music, jazz and new music are equally included in the comprehensive educational profile of the Academy of Music Hanns Eisler. In recent years, in cooperation with the University of the Arts, the Jazz-Institute Berlin was founded, merging the talents of both houses in one location, as well as klangzeitort, the Institute for New Music, which sees itself as a laboratory for musical composition and for reflection on contemporary music. A further joint venture is the Kurt Singer Institute for musicians' health.
The stage direction course offers comprehensive musical, theoretical and practical training and prepares its students in complex projects for the profession of music theatre director. In numerous opera productions the achievements of stage direction and singing students are displayed to the public. Productions are often staged in cooperation with the Komische Oper, the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, the Deutsche Oper and other theatres.

Prizes and Competitions

Every year since 1993 the Academy of Music has hosted the competition for the Hanns Eisler Prize for the composition and interpretation of contemporary music. It is dedicated to the promotion of new compositions and their performance. The shortlisted compositions are performed in a concert. Two juries decide on the prizewinners for composition and performance respectively.

The Boris Pergamentchikov Prize for chamber music aims to promote outstanding chamber music performance and also awaken interest in contemporary music and its origins. Every two years the Academy organizes the competition in collaboration with the Friends of the Academy of Music Hanns Eisler, in memory of its former professor Boris Pergamentchikov.
The Berlin Piano Competition of the Renate Schorler Foundation is also held every two years, in memory of the pianist and longserving Academy teacher Prof. Renate Schorler. The Foundation was created to benefit the piano department of the Academy of Music Hanns Eisler Berlin and is dedicated to the support of talented young pianists and the piano works of Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.

carte carrière - the alumni programme

The Academy of Music Hanns Eisler counts many established international performers among its graduates. The alumni programme carte carrière international is a network which promotes the exchange of ideas, mutual support and contact between students and the Academy, as well as amongst students themselves beyond graduation. Many remain in close contact with the Academy and return for concerts or masterclasses in order to pass on their knowledge and experience to the next generation of musicians.