A Farewell After Eight Remarkable Years

The extraordinary dynamism of recent years is reflected in the figures: the number of full-time students has increased by nearly 30% since 2018, and the total number of students rose from 1,893 in the winter semester of 2018–19 to 2,269 in the winter semester of 2025–26. At the same time, the gender distribution has shifted significantly—the initial ratio of 60% male to 40% female students has become much more balanced. In politically challenging times, the University ensured that students at Hungary's FReeSZÉ could complete their studies with an academic degree and admitted a high number of Ukrainian students—a sign of solidarity in action.
In particular, efforts to promote and further develop artistic practice and international mobility have steadily gained momentum. Initiatives such as Spot On MozART and With Bob Dylan on the Road I & II, combined with comprehensive travel grants for 20 student pairs and the creation and awarding of grants for 12 ensembles each year, have opened up new international perspectives.

Over the past few years, the University has focused on strengthening collaboration in the arts, fostering a sense of community, repositioning the field of contemporary music, and establishing a robust ensemble culture. The ARCO Ensemble, the Baroque Orchestra, a large guitar ensemble, the Academy Orchestra, vocal ensembles, and a thriving choral scene all contribute to the Mozarteum’s high-calibre reputation.

A major European collaborative project was realised not just once, but twice, in the form of Opera out of Opera I + II. Ongoing close cooperation with international partners—including the Accademia Chigiana in Siena, the Royal College of Music in London, the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles, and the Association Européenne des Conservatoires et Musikhochschulen (AEC)—has been strengthened, and ties with Asian countries and institutions have also been systematically expanded. The Austrian contribution to EXPO 2025 in Osaka stands as further testament to this.

Since 2018, 65 professorships have been filled with excellent candidates, 15 of them newly created positions in emerging subject areas. These include fields such as Artistic Research, Cinematic Art and Visual Communication, Digitality, and Performance Studies. Six additional positions with new profiles have been established, including Dance Science, Art.Text.Texture, and Music Outreach. Most recently, with the appointments of Christian Thielemann, Lisa Batiashvili, Claudio Martínez Mehner, and Igor Levit, the Mozarteum University Salzburg has secured four outstanding artists of international renown as members of its faculty.

The University’s infrastructure has also undergone long-term development. In Innsbruck, the Music Education department has moved into the Haus der Musik; central locations have been secured in Salzburg; and a brand-new building has been constructed—the Universität Mozarteum am Kurgarten (UMAK). After two and a half years of construction, the new building at Schwarzstraße 36 offers 1,895 m² of space for teaching, rehearsals, research, and the advancement and appreciation of the arts and digitality. In autumn 2026, the X-Reality Lab—the only one of its kind in Austria—will celebrate its grand opening, offering a state-of-the-art studio with possibilities for working with AR, VR, and AI. With the buildings in Schrannengasse and Paris Lodron Straße, the Rectorate has secured two additional locations for the Mozarteum University Salzburg.

There has also been a broadening of opportunities for specialisation as well as formats: multiple new study programmes have been established, including the international cooperative master’s programme New Music (Bern–Dresden–Salzburg); innovative offerings such as the master’s programmes Applied Theatre, Open Arts, and Immersive Arts and Digital Narratives; as well as the doctoral programme Artistic Research. In addition, Art/Crafts Pedagogy and Music Theory have been included among the subjects in which an academic doctorate can be pursued. The inter-university institution Wissenschaft und Kunst, along with its programme areas and doctoral college dedicated to research within and through the arts, has been systematically strengthened and further developed. Supplementary courses in fields such as artistic research, sustainability, and inclusion and diversity further enrich the academic programme.

Research output and funding levels have increased significantly, and the research culture has been strengthened in a sustainable way. The number of ongoing projects has grown from four (with no new grants) in 2018 to 14 ongoing projects and four new grants in 2026, including four funded by the FWF. In 2019, the Mozarteum Research Competition (RCM) was launched to provide a platform for researchers across all disciplines at the Mozarteum University. Each year, the competition awards financial support to the three best grant proposals to support their further development; in addition, all eligible projects are recommended for submission to relevant funding bodies.

On 20 March 2026, the University bade farewell to the Rectorate led by Elisabeth Gutjahr at a “Come Together & Farewell” event in the Max Schlereth Saal. In addition to lecturers, students, and staff, numerous external guests were in attendance, including State Parliament President Brigitta Pallauf, Dagmar Aigner representing the City of Salzburg, and Dominik Reisner from the Federal Ministry for Women, Science and Research. Deputising for President Alexander Van der Bellen, he presented her with the Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold for Services to the Republic of Austria.

What remains is the image of a university on the move: bold, committed, and connected.

And for that, we extend our heartfelt thanks. <3

The Mozarteum University – your Mozarteum – wishes you all the very best!