Where Music Lives

The Institute of New Music

With Harald Genzmer as assistant director at the time of its founding, contemporary music has always been a focal point of the university's work. The Institute of New Music was founded in 1964 by Wolfgang Fortner, expanded by Klaus Hübner, and is today managed by Prof. Mathias Spahlinger. Other previous and current composition teachers include Brian Ferneyhough, Emmanuel Nunes and Cornelius Schwehr.

Central components of the institute are the composition classes, the institute's ensemble, its own concert series and a specialist library of contemporary music. A studio for electronic music was added in 1984. Initially promoted by Mesias Maiguashca, since 2004 it has been managed by Prof. Orm Finnendahl, today under the name selma, "Studio für elektronische Musik und Akustik" (Studio for Electronic Music and Acoustics).

Institute of Musical Theatre

Since 2004, the successful work of the opera school under the management of Gerd Heinz has found its continuation in the Institute of Musical Theatre, managed since October 2008 by Prof. Alexander Schulin. Here, exciting programmes and musical theatre projects are produced at a high dramaturgical, technical and musical level, allowing students to develop entire roles as they would under theatre conditions. The range of projects extends from experimental pieces and world premieres through classics of opera repertoire all the way to early music.

Institute of Historically Informed Performance

Founded in 2005 under the management of Prof. Dr. Robert Hill, the institute stands for examining a performance practice that has always been closely connected to the university, as evidenced by personalities such as Fritz Neumeyer, Edith Picht-Axenfeld, Robert Levin, Thomas Hengelbrock or Gottfried von der Goltz. Numerous members of the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra have come from the Freiburg University.

Freiburg Institute of Music and Medicine (FIM)

Founded in 2005 as a co-operation with the medical faculty of the Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, the institute is managed by Prof. Dr. med. Dipl. Mus. Claudia Spahn. It deals with musician-specific health issues, prevention and performance enhancement, and with the physiological and psychological basis of vocal functions and music making. The Centre for Music And Medicine at the Freiburg University Clinic, managed by Prof. Dr. med. Bernhard Richter, serves as a therapeutic point of contact.

More on the Freiburg Institute of Music and Medicine (FIM)»

Freiburg Academy for the Gifted (Freiburger Akademie zur Begabtenförderung, FAB)

The Freiburg Academy for the Gifted (Freiburger Akademie zur Begabtenförderung, FAB), managed by Prof. Christoph Sischka, offers gifted young musicians, generally from the age of 12, a first-class pre-degree programme. Training in the main subject is supplemented by the basic subjects of Aural Training (Solfège) and Musical Theory (Partimento), accompanied by Rhythmics and Physical Education. Classes for vocal training and singing are currently in the planning stages. In addition, there are annual master classes for young talents, allowing them the opportunity to make initial contact with the teachers at the university.

Competitions and Awards

The University of Music Freiburg offers three annually alternating international competitions:

• International Clarinet Competition Freiburg, 24th - 28th August 2009
• International Violin Competition Freiburg, 23rd - 31st August 2009
• Freiburg Music Education Prize (Freiburger Musikpädagogik-Preis), 2011

More on the International Clarinet Competition»

In addition, there are numerous internal awards available to outstanding students:

• Arthur Lepthien Prize: awarded every two years to students in the piano classes (Pianohaus Lepthien)
• Gustav Scheck Prize: awarded annually for outstanding musical achievements (Commerzbank Cultural Foundation)
• Carl Seemann Prize: awarded twice a year to the winners of the university's internal selection procedure for the Mendelssohn Competition and the Inter-University Competition (Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Musikhochschule e.V.)
• Helene Rosenberg Prize: awarded every two years for outstanding musicological achievements
• Prize of the University Board: awarded every year to ensembles for outstanding achievements in chamber music

Studying in the Music City of Freiburg

That there are two symphony orchestras in southwest Germany's cultural centre of Freiburg with its approximately 220,000 inhabitants is surprising in itself. Both orchestras offer symphony concerts in concert subscriptions, both hold chamber music series.

The internationally active SWR Symphony Orchestra maintains its traditional focus on classical modern and avant-garde music. The Philharmoniker are more likely to be heard playing classical and romantic repertoire, without completely overlooking contemporary music, and in the opera productions at the Freiburg theatre.

In addition there are specialists for contemporary music, the "Ensembles recherche", "Aventure", "SurPlus", "Chronophonie" and "Holst-Sinfonietta".

At the other end of the musical and historical range are the "Freiburg Baroque Soloists", the "Freiburg Baroque Orchestra" and the "Freiburger Spielleyt", also "La Gamba" and the "Balthasar-Neumann-Ensemble", which includes a professional choir. "Camerata Vocale" and "Dufay-Ensemble" mainly play early music, while the "Anton-Webern-Chor" is dedicated to demanding choral works from almost every period.

The city is also home to Lieder singing, piano and chamber music, reflected not least in the concert series at the Historical Merchants' Hall near the Minster, built in 1532. The "Albert Konzerte" concert series, inaugurated in 1901, presents internationally renowned soloists and ensembles as part of a widely respected programme.
Also famed far and wide are the summer organ concerts in the Minster. Between June and August, thousands of listeners are drawn to the unique atmosphere of the gothic church building.
The other churches also offer lots of music. Two large concert choirs, the Bach Choir and the Chamber Choir, tackle large-scale oratorio performances.