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News … Home News Andrea Edlbauer Andrea Edlbauer - saxophonist, pedagogue & creative artist 01.05.2021 Alumnae & Alumni Stories Iris Wagner © Flora Bacher Photography Skip page navigation Overview Conversation More portraits Alumnae & Alumni Network Return to slider start Andrea Edlbauer completed her pedagogical studies at the Mozarteum University and teaches at the Upper Austrian State Music School. She has also studied in Vienna and Linz, is at home as a saxophonist in classical and contemporary music and likes to look in the direction of jazz. Her works are often interdisciplinary. Andrea Edlbauer: saxophonist, Pedagogue & Creative in interdisciplinary and multimedia projects Vienna, Upper Austria, Salzburg     With "Saxophone in Visualization" she is also represented in multimedia projects, last November she could be heard as an orchestra member with the "Bläserphilharmonie Mozarteum" and Martin Grubinger at the Konzerthaus Vienna and recently she founded the women's ensemble "MERVE". She plays in the saxophone quartet "saXTon" as well as in the piano-saxophone duo "Kuzo&Edlbauer". Together with Barbara Neu she sets selected wines to music and thus also ventures into compositions. That sounds quite a lot at once! What can't you do? It is a lot yes, that's true. I have a lot of interests and like to try myself out. I have found that it is good for me to focus on several things, as it keeps me mentally agile. For me, it's important that things happen. Not everything is planned that way from the beginning. It develops and some things are discarded or continued in a different form. But you have to like to challenge yourself again and again. Constantly stepping outside my own comfort zone is very important to me. The best way for me to do that is to put myself in the mindset of what I'm going to feel like afterwards, even before I complete a task. Still, there is an incredible amount I can't do. I have great respect for the almost inexhaustible knowledge of some saxophonists and musicians about the standard repertoire, the historical embedding and the resulting brilliant interpretations of existing works. One international master class that comes to mind is the one in Arosa organized by Lars Mlekusch. I find the creative creation and composition of music just as remarkable. I am fascinated by the naturalness with which musicians in the jazz scene are familiar with bringing their own ideas into the world. I myself am not a composer, I have not studied for it, but I work with what I have. My school music studies at the Mozarteum are a good background, which I like to call a "decathlon study". You have to be good at many things, and you have to be good at a remarkably high artistic level. Often it is those things that were dubbed minor subjects in my studies, or that I picked up in conversations with colleagues over a cup of coffee, that are ultimately important for my artistic work. My ambition is to make artistically valuable things and to bring them to life. To do this, I use all the resources that I have collected in recent years. I want to engage and deal with people, as well as their stories and concerns. Through music, content can be transported to different levels of society. But I don't want to say that music always has to have a purpose, you can also just enjoy it, close your eyes and lose yourself in the music. Your latest concert with the ensemble "MERVE" deals with stories, fairy tales and legends from literature and music history. How can we imagine this concert? One could say that you are a creative artist between worlds. What is the attraction of these different genres? It is a kind of musical reading, which brings with it the known and familiar, but also the unknown and new. From the classic Syrinx from ancient Greece to a modern Little Red Riding Hood, with a huntress instead of a hunter, the evening includes a variety of stories from diverse cultures. The focus is on women and their stories. These are women who had to stand their ground, in times when silence was demanded of them. The composition of clarinet, saxophone, viola and double bass expands through the use of language. One part is played, one part is spoken. Sometimes the two forms are interwoven. The piece is created only through the combination of music and speech. It is not the one existing supplemented by the other. The compositions were written by Judith Ferstl, who can be heard as a double bass player in the ensemble "MERVE". How did "MERVE", an all-female ensemble, come about? Together with the clarinetist Barbara Neu, the idea was born to initiate this project on stories and narratives of diverse cultures. The implementation was then realized with the double bass player Judith Ferstl and the violist Stefanie Kropfreiter, whom Barbara knows from her time in the Youth Symphony Orchestra. There had also been connections in the past, for example, through our student days in Vienna and Linz, respectively. We believed in the project and had an equal interest and desire to work on this thematic field musically, in terms of content and composition with an all-female ensemble. We also want to consciously bring women to the fore. In terms of content and artistically. That is still not a matter of course in the music world. One could say that you are a creative artist between worlds. What is appealing about these different genres? Each genre has its own focus. In classical training, you have time to study the instrument in detail, how it works, and already existing compositions. My roots are clearly in the tradition of the "classical saxophone" but also in contemporary music. The instrument has only been around since 1840, so it is comparatively young. In recent years, an extremely large amount of music has been composed for us, and the level of playability is rising rapidly. There are more and more young saxophonists who have incredible skills. There is no upper limit in sight yet. Other instruments have already passed this stage. All the influences, for example from jazz and pop, enrich me in my musical work. I don't think in genres and avoid these boundaries. It is interesting to look beyond the existing, classical. The way jazz artists work, as I have experienced it, is versatile and creative. There is composition and the spontaneous interaction, the vocal and improvisational element is very appealing. It's about what's happening in the moment. Influences from jazz have long been part of the compositions of the standard repertoire of the "classical saxophone" anyway - as it is always so nicely referred to. This term should actually be reconsidered. How do you find the right stage for projects between the worlds? I'm in that process right now (laughs). It tends to be more the classical stages but there are more and more organizers who also want to give space to something new. There are many new festivals emerging and some organizers in the field of jazz and new music have a wide range of content. But you have to look at the content besides the music to find the right "stage". How did you come to combine contemporary saxophone literature, electroacoustics and visual media? The idea came about at the beginning of my master's studies at the MUK (note: Music and Art Private University of the City of Vienna) in Vienna, where I focused on saxophone and multimedia performance. The resulting performance "Zuspielungen zuSPIELEN" is an interdisciplinary multimedia performance that I developed together with Lukas Dworschak and Saleh Rozati. Contemporary saxophone works are combined with live electronics and visuals. The two are visual artists and created the animations for the content of the pieces and took care of the interactive realization. This was preceded by a long process of dealing with a work, its composer and what he/she wants to say. One motivation is also to make it easier for the audience to access certain works or to enrich music with visual elements and to address several senses in perception. The combination of several art disciplines produces something in the Gesamtkunstwerk that would not be possible in the individual disciplines alone. And the vine narratives? Here you also compose, don't you? Yes, also in this project, in which I compose and arrange, several senses are addressed. In the interdisciplinary music performance Rebenerzählungen (Vine Tales), I present selected types of wine in musical-performative movements with my "Duo Annea," in which I play together with Barbara Neu. We work with winemakers from all over Austria and try to process the information we receive about the wines, the wineries and the respective regions they come from. Here, too, we want to bring together different worlds. Our team also includes the author Valerie Bachschwöll, the choreographer Sophia Hörmann, the dramaturge Maria Sendlhofer and Nino Stelzl, who is responsible for the stage design. The compositions are partly based on already existing works and partly they have been created completely new from the characteristics of the wine. With the ensemble "LAUT." you dedicate yourself together with your colleagues to current topics in a literary, performing and musical way. What are these themes and how are they realized? The first joint project "Beyond Beethoven" was created in 2019 and was awarded a prize in the "Creation" category at the Fidelio Competition of the MUK Vienna. Our collective is composed of the author Hurod Seekind, the violinist and violist Gregor Fussenegger, the actress Julia Mikusch and me. The project refers to the Heiligenstadt Testament, a desperate letter of Beethoven to his brothers Karl and Johann. This forms the basis of our performance. In its realization, it was a 15-minute performance in which we presented our interpretation of the Heiligenstadt Testament and confronted the audience with fundamental human questions of meaning. First and foremost was the question: "What am I"? A trailer of the work can be viewed on YouTube. From this ensemble "LAUT". a new collective was formed last year with trombonist Daniel Holzleitner. He is the first recipient of the "Joe Zawinul Prize" of the MUK Vienna. The prize was awarded to him for the realization of our interdisciplinary project "zwischen uns". In the spirit of Zawinul we deal with the interaction of language, in the form of the human voice, and music. The performance lives from the dialogical nature of this relationship. The goal of the project is the organic interaction of computer-aided sounds, acting and acoustic music. To achieve this, the boundaries between the disciplines are broken down and crossed in places, and the disciplines themselves are brought together in a meaningful way. In this working process I have learned a lot, because the approach of musicians and actors to an artistic project is completely different. The process of creation is different. What was new for me was the creation of a work during rehearsals. The creation of characters and roles, working on the overall dramaturgy. As a musician, you are used to preparing an existing work and coming to rehearsal with it, which is set for a fixed period of time. You don't usually have to think about how you stand, how you walk or how you turn. That was already very exciting. A first presentation of the Zawinul project will take place in Vienna in October 2021. In the past year, there has been, forced, a lot of art to experience digitally. Have you also had experiences in this area? Is there possibly even a positive effect from this? Personally, of course, I've listened to a concert via live stream every now and then, but I have to say that I'm not a fan of experiencing music and art digitally. When I put myself on stage, as an artist I transport an attitude, a mindset, which takes place non-verbally. The audience senses this consciously or unconsciously, and it is precisely these aspects that are lost through digital consumption. As a recipient, I don't leave my familiar surroundings, I don't have the ritual of getting dressed, and I lack the mental preparation for the concert evening. The art cannot unfold and reach the audience in the way it can in a live setting. If I can name something positive, it is certainly the insights into concerts and formats that would have been difficult for me to attend in terms of space and time. During the pandemic, for example, it was possible to watch a live stream from Berlin and one from Zurich on the same day. Internationally, musicians and the arts are moving ever closer together. It's also a way to quickly get new input and develop ideas. Your projects sound like a busy schedule. But how did you get there? What do you have to keep in mind as a student? How do you start, how do you plan and what is important? Yes, the play dates are getting more and more and I am very grateful for that. The path so far has definitely had many crossroads and forks, which has not always been easy. There have often been moments in the last few years when I doubted whether I was going in the right direction. Mainly because really no one can give an answer as to how an ensemble or formation will develop. Every group has its own dynamic and needs a different way of working, has its own pace. An important process was to be absolutely honest with myself and to be completely clear about where I want to go and where my strengths, but also weaknesses, are. And then you meet people who want to go in the same direction anyway. Personally, it is very important to me to work with musicians with whom I enjoy spending time, with whom I can exchange ideas on many levels beyond the art, apart from the fact that they are of course experts in their field. I often let my intuition decide, even though I couldn't know at the time whether a collaboration would be successful. I would advise everyone to try out as many things as possible during their studies and to remain open to all sides. Do you have any advice for artists who are still in training? Go to a lot of concerts, consume art in all its facets, inform yourself about what's going on and learn to manage yourself. For example, there is MICA or IG Kultur, where you can get a lot of important information for free. Support each other - both in the college and within the industry. We are all entrepreneurs, especially if you are in the independent scene. I think this is something that musicians should be even more aware of. Practicing is essential and important, but it's only part of what we should be able to do. In which area could there have been a little more at the university? Definitely in the area of music management and music business. For me, it would have been helpful to learn how to apply for funding and market myself while I was still a student. It would have been helpful, for example, to invite already established musicians to the university to learn from them and to be able to ask questions personally. What do you remember particularly well from your student days? I had a lot of time to make music and play in a wide variety of formations. For example, the "saXTon" saxophone quartet mentioned at the beginning dates back to my student days at the Bruckner University in Linz. There was also a lot of time to practice, to get to know literature and to try things out. In addition, I had very good teachers from whom I could learn a lot, not only musically but also personally. First and foremost my two main saxophone teachers Peter Rohrsdorfer and Michael Krenn. Even if the daily work often seems like a balancing act between teaching, practicing, rehearsing, performing and organizing, it is important to me to remind myself and all of us again and again how beautiful it is to be allowed to make art. Art is a privilege for all of us! Let's try not to forget that. andreaedlbauer.at More portraits Paths to self-employment - Franziska Strohmayr 6.8.2025 Paths to self-employment - Franziska Strohmayr  The versatile and renowned violinist, project manager and lecturer Franziska Strohmayr grew up in Augsburg and came to Salzburg to study, where she still lives today after graduating from the Mozarteum University under Prof. Martin Mumelter and Prof. Wolfgang Gratzer and from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London under Prof. Jacqueline Ross. Alumnae & Alumni Stories Braver than before - Mariia Tkachenko 8.4.2025 Braver than before - Mariia Tkachenko  Mariia Tkachenko lived in Kyiv until March 2022, where she received singing and violin lessons as a child and has already appeared in several TV productions. Her acting studies at the I. K. Karpenko-Karyi Kyiv National University of Theatre, Cinema and Television were interrupted by the war in Ukraine. Alumnae & Alumni Stories A passionate (folk) music educator - Rupert Pföß 17.3.2025 A passionate (folk) music educator - Rupert Pföß  Alumnus Rupert Pföß has been working as a music teacher at Musikum Salzburg since 1996 and has been head of the folk music and harmonica department since 2012. He is also an extended board member of the Salzburger Volksliedwerk. His busy seminar and jury activities at various music weeks and music competitions enrich his everyday life as a musician time and again.  Alumnae & Alumni Stories From Kiev to Salzburg - Sofiia Musina 20.11.2024 From Kiev to Salzburg - Sofiia Musina  The flutist and instrumental music teacher Sofiia Musina came to Salzburg to study at the Mozarteum University in April 2022. From 2017 to 2022, she studied at the Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University in Ukraine and obtained a Master's degree in ‘Master of Musical Art. Educational and Professional Programme: Musical Art’. She wrote her master's thesis on the Ukrainian composer Myroslav Skoryk. Alumnae & Alumni Stories Art will always be there, even in the most difficult times - Meral Guneyman 5.11.2024 Art will always be there, even in the most difficult times - Meral Guneyman  Meral Guneyman is a versatile classical musician, with numerous releases, who is comfortable in both pop and jazz music, has transcribed many original works and is also an enthusiastic arranger and improviser. Her ability to move between classical and jazz with lightning speed and conviction is a rarity. In 2021, her arrangements of classic David Bowie songs were presented for the first time on ‘Steinway-Spirio’ - a high-resolution self-playing system of the highest quality. Alumnae & Alumni Stories Breaking down boundaries and barriers - Judith Valerie Engel 29.9.2024 Breaking down boundaries and barriers - Judith Valerie Engel  Judith Valerie Engel is an Austrian pianist, musicologist & feminist. After years of study in Salzburg, Helsinki and Vancouver, she is currently completing a PhD in Historical Musicology at Oxford University. She is a recipient of the Stone-Mallabar Doctoral Scholarship awarded by Oxford College Christ Church. She is also one of the ‘Public Scholars’ in the Public Scholars Initiative of the University of British Columbia. Both academically and artistically, her focus is on historical and contemporary women composers. Alumnae & Alumni Stories More news

News … Home News Martina Stock Martina Stock - Harpist & Visual Artist 01.07.2021 Alumnae & Alumni Stories Iris Wagner © Magdalena Lepka Skip page navigation Overview Conversation More portraits Alumnae & Alumni Network Return to slider start Martina Stock is a visual artist and harpist. Through her compositions for harp, her exhibitions can also be experienced interdisciplinary. She creates a musical space, and thus a special sound and image world for her exhibitions. She graduated from the Mozarteum University as an art teacher, but nevertheless decided to become a freelance artist ... Martina Stock: harpist & visual artist Bischofshofen, Salzburg & Berlin     How did it come about and what was your motivation? It wasn't planned that way, although the artistic area was very strong in the training and we were well supported. Through my geography studies, excursions were always very important to me. One year, when a trip didn't work out, I got very involved with an art project called "OVERIVEW." That was a very formative experience. I noticed that this work gives me a lot of pleasure and I "tasted blood", so to speak. So it was clear that I definitely wanted to deepen the art. That was the first step. It was very courageous, because teaching offers a certain level of security. Many artists secure a fixed income and create space for their personal art in addition to teaching. After graduation, I worked at a school to keep my head above water financially. At the same time I devoted myself to music and art. I then relatively quickly came into a dichotomy. On the one hand I had the teaching job, which fed me, on the other hand the music and then the fine arts. There are "construction sites" everywhere and you don't really get anywhere. When you come back at four o'clock in the morning after a concert and are supposed to be at school at eight o'clock, you reach your limits relatively quickly. When I thought to myself that things had to change and wrote many applications deep into the night, I received an offer from China. I saw it as a "sign", especially because at the same time I was offered an "L1 apprenticeship contract", which of course honored me. In the end, it was a clear "gut decision" to choose art and uncertainty. That was the beginning of my self-employment and it was a "hard bread". I haven't regretted the decision to this day - even though it wasn't always easy. Can you also be heard solo on the harp or "only" in connection with your visual art? Both. I have a solo program with my own repertoire and project-related I play harp in combination with visual art. Your current project will be on display during the Salzburg Festival in August 2021 as an exhibition in the Kollegienkirche Salzburg under the title "100 FEMALE VOICES". What is this exhibition about and how did the project come about? What is so appealing about female artists from the last 100 years of the Salzburg Festival? It shows a selection of 100 female artists who, through their personality and their work, have decisively shaped the Salzburg Festival, on and off stage, in its 100-year history. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Salzburg Festival, the art project aims to bring the work of these women artists into the light of our perception and, through its compilation, to tell a story all of its own. How would you describe the process of creating an exhibition? There's a lot of planning, organization, research and, last but not least, perseverance behind it. It was clear to me from the beginning that the Kollegienkirche was the right place for this exhibition. A concept, cost calculations and drafts had to be made in order to acquire funds and prepare funding applications. At the same time, a selection of artists had to be made, contact with the artists had to be established and their approval obtained, photo research had to be carried out in the archives of the Salzburg Festival, photo rights had to be clarified and obtained, and of course the most important thing of all: the artistic process. It is an intensive year-long project. As a "one-woman-show" you are responsible for everything at the end of the day and everything always revolves around the number 100, which has to be managed. Photos are the basis of the work, right? Exactly - the photos serve as a template for the serigraphy and are embedded in the artistic work. I usually take the photos myself. In order to establish the reference to the Salzburg Festival, I was able to use the photos from the archive. You travel a lot. Your last works were created in Berlin. What significance do these trips have for your work? It was and is always important to me to show and establish my art internationally. I am represented with my art in China, Japan, the USA, but also in Europe, as recently in France. It is a welcome contrast that has a very positive effect on my work and network, although it involves more work, effort and expense. Stays abroad, excursions, research and "artist in residence grants" have had a very positive impact on my art. Your work is interdisciplinary. Your works are often experienced in connection with image and sound. Is art in holistic perception a special concern of yours? How does the relationship between image and sound develop in your works? In addition to exhibitions and solo concerts, I combine serigraphy with the harp to generate a visual and sonic composition - a universal combination in this form. I am fascinated to experience the artistic world in different dimensions and to take the viewer or listener into this world. At the same time "see", "hear" and also "perceive". The music can, for example, tell a story about the pictures. But it can also underline the effect of a motif or create a mood. With my audiovisual performances/installations I would like to open up another level of perception for the viewer of my pictures. Important in these projects is also the space in between, that is, to leave air. It is not about an "all-around sound system" of an exhibition. I would like to offer a stage to both art directions, the one is not "accessory" of the other. These projects started with an idea for my opening events of the exhibitions. I wanted to offer the visitors something special/something different, to take them into my artistic world. For this purpose I constructed a light system for the harp, which enables me to play in the dark. My exhibitions have begun in the dark. Only the light silhouette of the harp and a connecting element, for example a video animation or a mirror image to the pictures, were recognizable. Then came the music, an original composition. The music told the stories about the pictures and got the visitors in the mood for the exhibition. After a while the room became lighter and the artworks could be seen by the visitors. Last year, there was forced to experience a lot of art digitally. What experiences have you had with this? Are there perhaps even positive effects or changes? Art is also about the aura of a work of art. A digital image cannot replace the aura and the personal experience. It's not least about the place, the space in which you experience something. But digital formats also have something good: you can reach a lot of people, despite being separated by location. Today you are in the middle of your artistic career. What was the path like from university to becoming a freelance artist? How would you describe your profession? What tips and tricks can you give to young artists? To make a long story short, the beginning was really hard. I was completely on my own, but full of motivation. I was not afraid of work and believed in my art and music. Since these so-called "survival trainings" didn't exist or were just coming up in my time, a lot was "learning-by-doing". There were many challenges to overcome. Self-employment has advantages and disadvantages. But I enjoy being my own "boss." One downside of the profession is that an appropriate fee is not yet a given. Art is often supposed to be free. In other professions, this discussion doesn't exist like that. There is no right or wrong. Art is subjective. Often you just need luck to be in the right place at the right time. What is certainly helpful is a portion of courage to leave one's own comfort zone and go new ways. Believing in yourself and your own projects and ideas is important. Critics are always there. A lot of things must not and should not be taken personally. In addition to personal qualities, there are also some skills that you can learn. I'm thinking of marketing, for example. How do you see that? It wasn't a big focus when I was a student, but that has changed a lot. Self-marketing and networking are important to get ahead. Whereby one should be careful not to do everything alone. Cooperating with professionals who support certain tasks and activities with their know-how and networks is certainly better. However, it is a budget question. How do you make it to grants, studios, exhibitions, galleries ...? I think that in art, initiative is always good. But at the end of the day, everything has to fit together for things to get rolling. In which area could you have done a little more during your studies? Preparation for professional life is important. Above all, how to manage everyday life when the "protective mantle" of the university is gone. It's about very practical things, such as insurance and taxes. In my time, that was not present. What do you remember most about your studies? The community and the artistic exchange, the feedback. www.martinastock.at More portraits Paths to self-employment - Franziska Strohmayr 6.8.2025 Paths to self-employment - Franziska Strohmayr  The versatile and renowned violinist, project manager and lecturer Franziska Strohmayr grew up in Augsburg and came to Salzburg to study, where she still lives today after graduating from the Mozarteum University under Prof. Martin Mumelter and Prof. Wolfgang Gratzer and from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London under Prof. Jacqueline Ross. Alumnae & Alumni Stories Braver than before - Mariia Tkachenko 8.4.2025 Braver than before - Mariia Tkachenko  Mariia Tkachenko lived in Kyiv until March 2022, where she received singing and violin lessons as a child and has already appeared in several TV productions. Her acting studies at the I. K. Karpenko-Karyi Kyiv National University of Theatre, Cinema and Television were interrupted by the war in Ukraine. Alumnae & Alumni Stories A passionate (folk) music educator - Rupert Pföß 17.3.2025 A passionate (folk) music educator - Rupert Pföß  Alumnus Rupert Pföß has been working as a music teacher at Musikum Salzburg since 1996 and has been head of the folk music and harmonica department since 2012. He is also an extended board member of the Salzburger Volksliedwerk. His busy seminar and jury activities at various music weeks and music competitions enrich his everyday life as a musician time and again.  Alumnae & Alumni Stories From Kiev to Salzburg - Sofiia Musina 20.11.2024 From Kiev to Salzburg - Sofiia Musina  The flutist and instrumental music teacher Sofiia Musina came to Salzburg to study at the Mozarteum University in April 2022. From 2017 to 2022, she studied at the Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University in Ukraine and obtained a Master's degree in ‘Master of Musical Art. Educational and Professional Programme: Musical Art’. She wrote her master's thesis on the Ukrainian composer Myroslav Skoryk. Alumnae & Alumni Stories Art will always be there, even in the most difficult times - Meral Guneyman 5.11.2024 Art will always be there, even in the most difficult times - Meral Guneyman  Meral Guneyman is a versatile classical musician, with numerous releases, who is comfortable in both pop and jazz music, has transcribed many original works and is also an enthusiastic arranger and improviser. Her ability to move between classical and jazz with lightning speed and conviction is a rarity. In 2021, her arrangements of classic David Bowie songs were presented for the first time on ‘Steinway-Spirio’ - a high-resolution self-playing system of the highest quality. Alumnae & Alumni Stories Breaking down boundaries and barriers - Judith Valerie Engel 29.9.2024 Breaking down boundaries and barriers - Judith Valerie Engel  Judith Valerie Engel is an Austrian pianist, musicologist & feminist. After years of study in Salzburg, Helsinki and Vancouver, she is currently completing a PhD in Historical Musicology at Oxford University. She is a recipient of the Stone-Mallabar Doctoral Scholarship awarded by Oxford College Christ Church. She is also one of the ‘Public Scholars’ in the Public Scholars Initiative of the University of British Columbia. Both academically and artistically, her focus is on historical and contemporary women composers. Alumnae & Alumni Stories More news

News … Home News Marena Weller Marena Weller - Artist & Pedagogue in Theater & Dance 01.08.2021 Alumnae & Alumni Stories Iris Wagner © Tobias Kreft Skip page navigation Overview Conversation More portraits Alumnae & Alumni Network Return to slider start Acting, dance, or interdisciplinary? Why not all three? Marena Weller:  artist & Pedagogue in the field of theater & dance Salzburg     What do you do professionally, what projects are you involved with? I currently teach dance, body and acrobatics at the Schauspielhaus Salzburg's in-house acting academy and am a freelance artist, actress and teacher in the fields of dance and theater. Often the disciplines of acting and dance intertwine and the competences of one field go hand in hand with those of the other. Because I am trained in different artistic fields, interdisciplinarity plays a major role in my work. The emeritus university professor Helmi Vent, director of Lab Inter Arts (LIA), leads the way with her creative work in the interdisciplinary context. I have been and still am active in the independent scene, such as the Schauspielhaus Salzburg, in plays for a wide variety of target groups, have been on tour in Austria and abroad, and have been engaged several times as a dancer at the Salzburg Festival. Here I was able to work with dancers from the ballet company of the Salzburg Landestheater, among others. I was also invited to various theater festivals, e.g. to Munich and Stuttgart, with my own dance pieces. In addition, I have already staged and directed dance pieces myself. Is there a specific project you are currently working on? I am directing a play for young children and "Everyman" at the Schauspielhaus Salzburg. It's an interdisciplinary, participatory project with movement, music and language called "Invitation to the Ball". I am staging it with the first cohort of the in-house drama academy. The first rehearsals have already taken place and the premiere will be in October. You studied elementary music and dance pedagogy, i.e. an art pedagogical subject, at the Mozarteum and completed acting training at the Schauspielhaus Salzburg. How did this decision come about? Was it always clear to you where you wanted to go? My interest in music, dance and theater came early, but I couldn't quite decide on a discipline. During my studies I noticed that the theater and acting field appealed to me extremely. Through various impulses during my studies I found my way. The training at the Orff Institute was very broad, I learned the necessary craft to take things into my own hands and to be able to articulate and position myself as an art educator and later as an artist in a well-founded and differentiated way. What does the training at the Orff Institute look like and what might a professional profile look like later? Carl Orff developed an approach to working with all people, not only in early childhood, to which the Orff Institute is unfortunately often reduced, of all ages, in a very low-threshold way, from the elementary to artistic activity. Artistic activity in the sense of a whole-body expression, however, primarily through music, dance and language. The approach implies that what is inherent in me in terms of resources is already an inexhaustible source of creativity and that in almost every person there is a need for expression. Many do not sing because they think they cannot. It is similar with dancing, making music and everything else that has to do with art. But it is not about being virtuosic. This assumption prevents many from even considering their own artistic potential. It doesn't matter what you can do and how much you have learned, but only that you do it and experience how enriching it can be to express yourself artistically. And this without dilettantism and with appropriate artistic demands, often initially in elementary, basal structures. Accompanying creative processes, the development, the proverbial path that is the goal, forms the focus of the study. In the process, one comes very close to oneself and to others. The study is to a high degree personality-forming. The professional field of an Orff graduate depends very much on the focus chosen in the course of study and on the additional qualifications and training acquired. It ranges from the own artistic activity to the art pedagogical work with any target group, children up to senior citizens, often also in the integrative area, with large and small groups or individuals. An Orff graduate is, so to speak, often the personified flexibility and performer in personal union. Much of the day-to-day work takes place within the framework of projects of various sizes in collaboration with different employers such as educational institutions, training centers, associations, other artists, theaters, concert halls, places where art is shown and practiced, the city, the country, in further education and in areas that have only opened up in recent years and continue to do so, which cannot be summarized with a blanket term, in the free field, so to speak. Early music education is a field in which Orff graduates usually find a job very quickly, because the demand is very high. In addition, one can see in children that the separation of the individual expressive disciplines is hardly possible and that they almost automatically live out all expressive languages at the same time. Only later does the subdivision into individual disciplines take place. That which is inherent in the child is therefore very close to our training from the ground up. However, it is basically the case that our training at the Orff Institute does not automatically qualify us to teach music in schools or to teach instruments in music schools; this is usually only possible for school music or IGP students. This topic had great potential for discussion when I was a student, because many would very well have the necessary skills to work in this area, especially those who chose their instrument as a focus. On the other hand, the question then arises as to what equivalent would be available to those who chose the dance or MTSI (music and dance in social and integrative work) emphasis. After all, the ability to teach an instrument at music schools naturally opens up many professional opportunities that those with a different focus would not have. An Orff graduate, no matter what he or she does, will always perceive people in their whole-body expression and teach accordingly. Music, dance, language and all other artistic media of expression can thus never exist in isolation from each other and always go hand in hand, even enriching each other, so that one discipline benefits from the integration of another. The piano students of Orff graduates, for example, will certainly not "only" make music on the piano, they will, for example, experience the rhythm of a piece as a sequence of steps through the room, sing the melody themselves or develop it further on the piano itself and think up a gestural choreography for some passages. The students are guided in such a way that it seems natural to them, and in the moment without alternative, to experience music in a variety of ways with the whole body. The piano students will thus experience their instruments as a source of creative design on several levels and thus find an individual approach to art itself and experience that art can take place in the middle of the here and now, from the affective doing. One thing opens up organically from the other. I do not want to deny this approach to other music educators, but the Orff Institute clearly focuses on it. In many places, music, dance and language are taught separately, which is great without question. But we combine the individual components with each other, and for many people this is new territory that they don't have much of an idea of. Once you have experienced this symbiosis, the added value opens up all by itself. In my opinion, this approach does not exist in competition with, but rather parallel to, more conventional art education. Nevertheless, we still succeed time and again in having Orff graduates teach at schools or music schools via detours or back doors, e.g. through early music education or workshops/projects. Some schools have dance as a separate subject, so there are opportunities for us there as well. One of my colleagues teaches dance at a music high school. Schools and music schools are often reliable and attractive employers in a field full of temporary jobs. Of course, there is also the possibility of teaching at a university, college or academy, as I do. I also often work in continuing education at the Musikum, the Zekip (Center for Kindergarten Pedagogy) and the Bildungshaus St. Virgil. There are many ways to get into artistic doing without having to have prefabricated texts, choreographies or pieces of music as source material or even to copy them. This approach works on absolutely every artistic level. The piece I am developing is created based on what my students offer me through ideas and questions, through guided improvisations that I put to them. My task is then to sort through the material, to contextualize it in a differentiated way, and to consistently follow the intention that has emerged in the further development of the piece. You have to know clearly what your intention is and have a trained eye, ear and fine sense, otherwise this way of working can quickly end in chaos. In addition, the way of communication, the way of dealing with the performers and the structurally well thought-out guidance of each individual piece of the puzzle is immensely important. The feeling for the right moment, the right choice of words carries a lot of weight. Interpersonal tact and reflection are therefore indispensable for me. Especially with professional artists, one can experience virtuoso final results. The approach to interdisciplinary and participatory projects is based on dance theater, which was founded first and foremost by the dancer Pina Bausch. At that time, dance theater opened up a new art form in the vast waters of the contemporary art scene. At the beginning there is no finished choreography, but questions, themes and seemingly trivial things, with which a whole piece is subsequently developed. Dancers not only dance and move, they sing, speak, paint or interact gesturally and mimically. They become a whole-body medium of expression. The individual disciplines combine and create a new great whole. Often a theme is explored in depth, to the limit of what is possible. In contemporary art, in general, one rarely only scratches the surface and it can become extreme and above all very honest, sometimes shocking. Often the mirror is held up to one, the experience is surprising, overwhelming to unpleasant, mostly impressive and sometimes "worth remembering", i.e. remarkable. Something is left behind - rich and lasting in the best case. Most of the time, not everything that was worked out in the corresponding rehearsals ends up in the piece. This is normal and experience helps in terms of efficiency. Plays are therefore often closely linked to the individuality of the performers. The whole person with all his personal experiences, views and experiences is in the foreground in dance theater. This is similar to Carl Orff's approach to art education. In the last two years, much of art has taken place on a digital level. How have you experienced this in your work? As a mother of a young son, I took a bit of a backseat last year, but of course I had to teach my students at the Drama Academy digitally and did so in the form of text-based assignments that students had to solve via video. Afterwards, there was feedback on those videos. The tasks were rather not of a dance technical nature, but of a creative nature, which, apart from being arbitrary, precisely thought out, demanded an individual implementation and accuracy in terms of the focus of the task. On the whole, most of the students were very motivated over a long period of time, but this does not carry over too long. The personal, and especially in dance, also the physical contact is simply irreplaceable. The individual support and guidance in the form of personal messages kept them on their toes. It took me a lot of time, but in the end it paid off and the students were able to develop despite all the circumstances. A big challenge, but at the same time an opportunity, was that there was so little space to implement the video tasks. After all, how are you supposed to perform dance in two square meters? There are indeed many possibilities and often even in the limitation there is the potential to unfold. One task, for example, was to work out a choreography using only the hands according to a certain compositional principle à la "I'm packing my suitcase". Thanks to the low-threshold nature of the online format, I was also able to take part in online training sessions with renowned dance companies myself, something I would never have had the opportunity to do otherwise. This has also opened up something new in further training for artists. Will something remain from this experience that you want to continue? I see great added value in the fact that the students have to observe themselves through their recordings and reflect on what they have done. Recordings are a good medium for self-correction, optimization and improvement. Most are very self-critical and find it difficult to see themselves on video. I know this as well. But students have learned over time to deal with it constructively. That's why I will continue to use this method specifically. Basically, digitality has opened up possibilities that we didn't know would work. For example, there is a certain sustainability in not having to travel everywhere to be able to participate in something. You can consume more art or training in less time. Of course, that will never replace a live event. But it doesn't have to if the alternative means not experiencing something at all, as was often the case for me. Some things are also easier to integrate into everyday life (with a child) through digital formats. I very much hope that the digital meeting itself will be maintained in other areas as well. Digitization has opened up many new artistic possibilities, even away from and even before Covid. A colleague and her early music ensemble had asked the audience for a digital vote on the outcome of a baroque opera, in order to react artistically depending on the vote. The audience thus becomes part of the performance. This is a stylistic device that many more artists have now discovered out of necessity. What advice can you give to young artists? In your view, what is particularly important in order to gain a foothold in the artistic profession, in the transition from education to work? Patience and perseverance! In the beginning, everyone else always seems to be more successful and better positioned than you are. Learning to trust yourself in your individuality, despite constantly comparing yourself to others, is a never-ending process. If you keep at it, and keep at it over a long period of time that often seems very tough, during which you sometimes have to manage on a shoestring, the right thing will come. The right thing doesn't necessarily mean sticking to the goals you once set by hook or by crook, but that your intentions and ideas may have changed over time. It does not mean that one has given up, but that one and/or the circumstances have/have changed in such a way that one may have to readjust accordingly. Everything is subject to constant change, as we all know, and so it makes sense to keep reflecting, questioning, pursuing some things more intensely or letting go. This is not a loss, but a gain, because it usually opens new, undreamed-of doors. That applies not only to art, of course, but to life as a whole. I also had to learn to allow room for development. Much of what is not yet can and will become. Much that we don't know or can't decide now, we will know and be able to decide one day. Things need time. This sounds very precocious at my age of 32, but I am just experiencing its truthfulness myself. It's okay to start out and keep doing different or additional jobs that have nothing or little to do with art or art education. You should never be ashamed of that or even hide it. After all, you have to make ends meet. Someone who currently earns little or no money with their art is just as much an artist and makes just as valuable art as someone who makes a living from it! The financial earnings are not the only criterion that makes one an artist! The personal value as a person is of course not dependent on a professional activity and its payment. In the best case, there is also a life outside of the profession. A supposed failure is also a milestone and it can't always be uphill. Sometimes you have to take detours in order to develop further. If you take a closer look at the biographies of artists, almost none of them have been straightforward. When you look back on your student days, where could it have been a bit more? The Orff Institute has been in a state of flux for some time now. The primary question is how the legacy of Carl Orff can be continued and developed in the here and now. The necessity and relevance of this study is quite obvious and more relevant than ever in today's world. The longing for analog expression and interaction with other people is unquenched. To approach each other, to get close to each other, to listen to each other, to watch each other, to address each other, to sense who the other is, to learn from each other and I mean that apart from any esotericism, but literally on an interpersonal level, to be able to perceive oneself and others and to interact and communicate with them, is existential. This sounds so obvious now, but it is not. It requires practice and practice! In order not to stand still, we basically have to constantly renegotiate who we want to be ourselves and how we want to deal with each other as a society. Art is predestined for all this! It is therefore not only a representative and a field of practice, but of course also a visualization and platform for the lived expression of inner sensitivities. I believe that the Orff Institute, thanks to its DNA, its system, is virtually predestined to face socially relevant questions of art and art education even more intensively, to grasp new influences and complex contexts, to combine things without complicating them, but to make them accessible, to remain flexible, not to get stuck in the old for the sake of tradition, and also to position itself accordingly. The Orff Institute, as I have experienced it, is interested first and foremost in people themselves. For all people, without exception! There is a great opportunity in actually orienting itself to today's people in today's society, to recipients as well as to art educators, to artists, to global current events, and the Orff Institute would undoubtedly have the resources and the potential to face this more actively. At that time, I would have liked to see more progressiveness, more courage and action from the Institute. What was particularly nice when you think about your studies? I was given very multifaceted tools. There were almost endless opportunities to get new input. It's also a place of inspiration and creativity! I was very encouraged to tackle projects myself and to realize my convictions, to put them into practice. It was never a: Don't do that, it's wrong, but always a Yes! Yes! And again Yes! Do it, try it out! I have mostly perceived a great reinforcement and appreciation of myself as an individual. A deviation from the norm is often appreciated and encouraged. Helmi Vent actually left the strongest impression on me. She was and is a very important role model and guiding figure for me - professionally and also personally. She taught me that art takes place in the midst of life and not only in the theater, in the exhibition, in the concert. How much art is representative for our society as well as for me as a person and vice versa, and what art can be. One of Helmi Vent's guiding principles is particularly memorable to me. She once said that her work was a kind of experimental laboratory for creatively coping with life. More portraits Paths to self-employment - Franziska Strohmayr 6.8.2025 Paths to self-employment - Franziska Strohmayr  The versatile and renowned violinist, project manager and lecturer Franziska Strohmayr grew up in Augsburg and came to Salzburg to study, where she still lives today after graduating from the Mozarteum University under Prof. Martin Mumelter and Prof. Wolfgang Gratzer and from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London under Prof. Jacqueline Ross. Alumnae & Alumni Stories Braver than before - Mariia Tkachenko 8.4.2025 Braver than before - Mariia Tkachenko  Mariia Tkachenko lived in Kyiv until March 2022, where she received singing and violin lessons as a child and has already appeared in several TV productions. Her acting studies at the I. K. Karpenko-Karyi Kyiv National University of Theatre, Cinema and Television were interrupted by the war in Ukraine. Alumnae & Alumni Stories A passionate (folk) music educator - Rupert Pföß 17.3.2025 A passionate (folk) music educator - Rupert Pföß  Alumnus Rupert Pföß has been working as a music teacher at Musikum Salzburg since 1996 and has been head of the folk music and harmonica department since 2012. He is also an extended board member of the Salzburger Volksliedwerk. His busy seminar and jury activities at various music weeks and music competitions enrich his everyday life as a musician time and again.  Alumnae & Alumni Stories From Kiev to Salzburg - Sofiia Musina 20.11.2024 From Kiev to Salzburg - Sofiia Musina  The flutist and instrumental music teacher Sofiia Musina came to Salzburg to study at the Mozarteum University in April 2022. From 2017 to 2022, she studied at the Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University in Ukraine and obtained a Master's degree in ‘Master of Musical Art. Educational and Professional Programme: Musical Art’. She wrote her master's thesis on the Ukrainian composer Myroslav Skoryk. Alumnae & Alumni Stories Art will always be there, even in the most difficult times - Meral Guneyman 5.11.2024 Art will always be there, even in the most difficult times - Meral Guneyman  Meral Guneyman is a versatile classical musician, with numerous releases, who is comfortable in both pop and jazz music, has transcribed many original works and is also an enthusiastic arranger and improviser. Her ability to move between classical and jazz with lightning speed and conviction is a rarity. In 2021, her arrangements of classic David Bowie songs were presented for the first time on ‘Steinway-Spirio’ - a high-resolution self-playing system of the highest quality. Alumnae & Alumni Stories Breaking down boundaries and barriers - Judith Valerie Engel 29.9.2024 Breaking down boundaries and barriers - Judith Valerie Engel  Judith Valerie Engel is an Austrian pianist, musicologist & feminist. After years of study in Salzburg, Helsinki and Vancouver, she is currently completing a PhD in Historical Musicology at Oxford University. She is a recipient of the Stone-Mallabar Doctoral Scholarship awarded by Oxford College Christ Church. She is also one of the ‘Public Scholars’ in the Public Scholars Initiative of the University of British Columbia. Both academically and artistically, her focus is on historical and contemporary women composers. Alumnae & Alumni Stories More news

News … Home News Thomas Reif Thomas Reif - violinist 01.11.2021 Alumnae & Alumni Stories Iris Wagner © Andrej Grilc Skip page navigation Overview Conversation More portraits Alumnae & Alumni Network Return to slider start Thomas Reif is concertmaster of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, active as a soloist and chamber musician, and has recently taken up a professorship in violin. In addition to classical music, he devotes himself to Argentine tangos of the 1930s to 1950s together with the Cuarteto SolTango. Thomas Reif: violinist Munich     You play in different formations and genres. What is so appealing about that? From the outside, people like to perceive it that way, because I'm a classically trained violinist and tango is understood as its own genre. Personally, I don't like to separate the two. There are basically no big differences in the way we make music. So I try not to separate the genres too much and not to draw boundaries. We are musicians, what kind of music you end up making is not that important - quality is much more important. I have a little bit of a feeling that the careers of young artists are changing compared to older ones. Many are moving into different "genres" in my perception and the terms interdisciplinarity and multimedia are popping up more and more. Careers have changed over the years, of course. Our traditional studies have a definite framework. A course of study needs a curriculum and a structure; to some extent, there's no other way. The question is how much you can break that up. You don't have to play a Bach fugue in the first semester of your bachelor's degree. There's a lot that you should learn beforehand. It's like comparing a person who goes to driving school and instead of learning to drive, is immediately put into a Formula 1 car. But of course, students can be exposed to repertoire outside of the "standard repertoire" while still in college. There are many other composers who have written great and perhaps not so great music. One may need to learn about less great works in order to understand why music, for example by Mozart, is so grandiose. For musicians, the question is whether they want to play pieces as they did decades before, or whether they want to find something new for themselves. A voice of their own, so to speak. You can play unknown works, you can compose yourself, you can create new styles and so on. At this point I come to tango: I love this music and as a classical violinist I have the unusual advantage with tango that I can listen to the originals and get the inspiration. However, we don't want to simply copy the original. In comparison, you can't make a quick phone call to Bach today (laughs). The second exciting aspect of tango is that we want to bring this music closer to the classical audience. We don't play at tango festivals all the time, maybe once a year. Mostly we play to classical audiences who are hearing this music for the very first time. That is a great feeling. We interpret the tango and can show the audience something new. Discovering a piece for yourself in a new way is a great experience! It is different from the hundredth interpretation of a well-known piece. This is an experience I also made after my studies. For me, it's a balancing act, because the position in the orchestra is a very classical one. I wouldn't want to miss either one or the other. But everyone has to find their own way. How does the work in the symphony orchestra differ from that of a chamber musician or in the tango quartet? Of course, the music is very different, but in the preparation and musical practice there are actually no huge differences. One always wants to prepare in the best possible way. The obvious number of musicians is a social component. In a quartet, however, you need a different kind of initiative and organizational skills. As a freelance musician, you have to organize more: Program composition, rehearsals, performance opportunities, dates, publicity, etc. In fact, these skills are often learned much too late, when you don't need them in your studies and therefore don't practice them. The curriculum provides a lot of things. However, awareness of this should actually start earlier. Your concert calendar includes, for example, concerts with Igor Levit and Alice Sara Ott. All of your concert partners are at the highest level. How do musicians find each other for such concerts? It happens in different ways. Some of them are friends from their studies, and as they become better known, they are approached. Some become better known because of competitions, because they were invited to concerts. The position as concertmaster also contributes to this. That's how I got to know Igor Levit. One or two collaborations are a result of that. You get to know other musicians at festivals, for example, and over time you "know" each other in the scene. Networking is important, of course, and working with friends makes things easier. Everyone prefers to work with people they like, provided that the level fits together. Free chamber music ensembles are seldom put together by a selection process, but this happens more often with permanent ensembles. That means you don't necessarily need an agency, right? I personally don't have one, but I know many who do. At the end of my studies I also looked for an agency, because I was aware of the advantages of a network and agencies take care of various administrative things, among other things. I did not pursue this goal when I took up my orchestra position. My schedule is well filled with the two "mainstays" and I don't miss anything at the moment. Perhaps things would be different if I didn't have the orchestra position. Perhaps both the agency landscape and the structures in the concert business have changed. Personal responsibility is important in any case, whether with or without an agency. Your career reads so beautifully and straightforwardly… but is it really that easy to get where you are today? Not quite (laughs). I had my crisis of purpose during my master's studies in Berlin. I had chosen a particular teacher because I knew I could still learn a lot from him. That took a lot of patience and strength. It was really exhausting. If you want to improve things, you have to break up a lot of things and start over. At that time, I gave up engagements I had before and just practiced more. I had stopped focusing on things that were going well and just focused on what was going less well. So I felt like I couldn't play anymore. That was hard, but it was part of it and I had to go through it. I know many musicians who had a similar experience. It can happen sooner or later in the career process. The important thing is to keep going. You have also participated in competitions. What is attractive about competitions for artists today? I myself have played many competitions and thus always set myself goals in terms of repertoire or a deadline. As they said in Pandemic, "I don't need more time, I need a deadline" (laughs). I learned a lot through this and also met many other great musicians* from all over the world, some of whom I am still in contact with. The way to the competition was the goal, so to speak. The goal was to become better. You can't break if you don't come out the winner. You have to be aware that there are many influencing factors in a competition and not least a little luck is part of it. Above all, there are many very good musicians in the competitions. Today, winning a first prize is no guarantee of a great career. This was perhaps a little different in the past, when there were fewer competitions. A few years ago, the winners of the ARD competition still got a recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon. When I won prizes, there were concerts in the following season with orchestras, among others. In the process, I got around and was able to build up a name for myself. But that is no guarantee for a career as a soloist. Nevertheless, competitions are important, because how else do I get a stage and appropriate attention as a student? Class nights won't be enough. There are many new techniques and media now, it remains to be seen how this will develop. Nowadays, all the competitions are online, so there's also some danger in that. I don't know if I would have wanted everything to be online from the first round. Everyone has to ask themselves what their goal is with a competition and not make everything dependent on that. What advice would you give to students when you think about your time as a student and the work process today? There should be two sides to studying: On the one hand, you have to learn your instrument to the best of your ability and invest a lot of time. On the other hand, you have to be able to answer a few questions for yourself: What can I do differently than the generations before me? What kind of concerts do I want to play? How can I inspire the audience? You have to think about why the audience should go to your concerts. You have to invest time in that, too. This is where the difficult interplay begins. How much time do I spend on social media, recording, advertising, etc. and how much time do I invest in the music and my instrument to get better. In addition, you can't underestimate the so-called "minor subjects". You can't do it without a basis and certain basic education. What do you remember most about your time as a student? Where could there have been a little more? The class exchange was always very important and nice for me. In retrospect, I would have liked the importance of organizational skills to have been a topic. Is there anything else you would like to share? In addition to all the educational steps, you should actively think about what you want to do with music. thomasreif.de More portraits Paths to self-employment - Franziska Strohmayr 6.8.2025 Paths to self-employment - Franziska Strohmayr  The versatile and renowned violinist, project manager and lecturer Franziska Strohmayr grew up in Augsburg and came to Salzburg to study, where she still lives today after graduating from the Mozarteum University under Prof. Martin Mumelter and Prof. Wolfgang Gratzer and from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London under Prof. Jacqueline Ross. Alumnae & Alumni Stories Braver than before - Mariia Tkachenko 8.4.2025 Braver than before - Mariia Tkachenko  Mariia Tkachenko lived in Kyiv until March 2022, where she received singing and violin lessons as a child and has already appeared in several TV productions. Her acting studies at the I. K. Karpenko-Karyi Kyiv National University of Theatre, Cinema and Television were interrupted by the war in Ukraine. Alumnae & Alumni Stories A passionate (folk) music educator - Rupert Pföß 17.3.2025 A passionate (folk) music educator - Rupert Pföß  Alumnus Rupert Pföß has been working as a music teacher at Musikum Salzburg since 1996 and has been head of the folk music and harmonica department since 2012. He is also an extended board member of the Salzburger Volksliedwerk. His busy seminar and jury activities at various music weeks and music competitions enrich his everyday life as a musician time and again.  Alumnae & Alumni Stories From Kiev to Salzburg - Sofiia Musina 20.11.2024 From Kiev to Salzburg - Sofiia Musina  The flutist and instrumental music teacher Sofiia Musina came to Salzburg to study at the Mozarteum University in April 2022. From 2017 to 2022, she studied at the Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University in Ukraine and obtained a Master's degree in ‘Master of Musical Art. Educational and Professional Programme: Musical Art’. She wrote her master's thesis on the Ukrainian composer Myroslav Skoryk. Alumnae & Alumni Stories Art will always be there, even in the most difficult times - Meral Guneyman 5.11.2024 Art will always be there, even in the most difficult times - Meral Guneyman  Meral Guneyman is a versatile classical musician, with numerous releases, who is comfortable in both pop and jazz music, has transcribed many original works and is also an enthusiastic arranger and improviser. Her ability to move between classical and jazz with lightning speed and conviction is a rarity. In 2021, her arrangements of classic David Bowie songs were presented for the first time on ‘Steinway-Spirio’ - a high-resolution self-playing system of the highest quality. Alumnae & Alumni Stories Breaking down boundaries and barriers - Judith Valerie Engel 29.9.2024 Breaking down boundaries and barriers - Judith Valerie Engel  Judith Valerie Engel is an Austrian pianist, musicologist & feminist. After years of study in Salzburg, Helsinki and Vancouver, she is currently completing a PhD in Historical Musicology at Oxford University. She is a recipient of the Stone-Mallabar Doctoral Scholarship awarded by Oxford College Christ Church. She is also one of the ‘Public Scholars’ in the Public Scholars Initiative of the University of British Columbia. Both academically and artistically, her focus is on historical and contemporary women composers. Alumnae & Alumni Stories More news

News … Home News Walter Auer Walter Auer - solo flutist 01.12.2021 Alumnae & Alumni Stories Iris Wagner © Daniela Beranek Skip page navigation Overview Conversation More portraits Alumnae & Alumni Network Return to slider start Walter Auer is principal flutist of the Vienna State Opera and Vienna Philharmonic. He is in demand internationally as a soloist and chamber musician and teaches as professor of flute at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. Walter Auer: solo flutist Vienna     What is the beauty of working with young people, of teaching? Everything (laughs). It's a wonderful task to accompany young people in an important phase of their lives, to give them as much input as possible and to further develop skills. An incredible amount of personal and musical input comes back. You develop yourself in the process, which is important. It's about advancing your own subject and not getting stuck with the things you've been presented with at some point. I love doing that, and I think that's a prerequisite. In summary, I see the instrumental and especially the musical imprinting of young people as well as supporting and encouraging their enthusiasm as my main task. You said that you learn a lot yourself. Do you observe a change in young people today compared to when you were a student? Funnily enough, I was just talking to a student about this topic recently. When I think about how my student days were, … (laughs). We were certainly not always easy and some things I should perhaps have done differently. I studied in Salzburg with Michael Kofler and he wasn't much older than me. I miss the contradictoriness, the critical questioning among the young. Sometimes I actually wish for more constructive contradiction. Starting a discourse. Are the students more well-behaved today? Yes, I think so. They come out of school more well-behaved. But the enthusiasm is there. It's about being honest with yourself. How many hours can I put in, how much can I practice, what will get me ahead? That has remained unchanged. Was it clear to you from the beginning where you wanted to go professionally? Fortunately, yes. I went to the Villach Music School, as did my later professor Michael Kofler. He, however, a few years before me. He virtually showed me this path and was already my role model at that time. He studied in Vienna and became a solo flutist in Munich at a very young age. As far as I remember, it was already my wish at the age of 15 or 16 to play in an orchestra. That it then became exactly this position, I could neither foresee nor plan. I was well aware that it would be difficult, although I was already studying IGP (note: pedagogical training) at the same time. It was not a plan "B", both interested me. However, a career is also determined by luck. The right position has to be available at the right time. But what is luck? I recently read the definition of a professional golfer who said that the more he practiced, the more luck he had. I found this train of thought very beautiful. Auditions for orchestras are important career steps, aren't they? I was lucky enough to get into the Karajan Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic while I was still a student. The day before, I flunked out in the first round at the audition at the Munich Orchestra Academy. The next day, I won the audition in Berlin. That is the reality. A career doesn't have to be linear. It's important to take something away from negative experiences as well. If you don't go at all, you deprive yourself of a chance from the outset. The two years in Berlin under Claudio Abbado were a paradise for me. I came from the country as an amazed child. The impressions I gained there were great. Learning from the best - what more could you want? I was allowed to play under Kurt Masur and James Levine when I was young, for example. The path is basically quite simple: You open the "Orchester" magazine - not yet digital at that time - and see where there is a position. Then you apply. Of course, it looks good on your résumé if you already have a few orchestral stations to show for it. The most difficult point for students is to be invited and to present themselves. Nowadays, there are more and more auditions to increase the number of people invited, but that's still the first big hurdle. My next stop was the Neue Philharmonie Westfalen, I won the audition and so it went on. I looked for a new destination and this was Kassel. After failing the audition year, I moved on to the Dresdner Philharmonie audition, which I won again. One always looks for the next best position, so to speak. After Dresden, two years followed with the NDR Rundfunkphilharmonie Hannover. I was very happy in this orchestra. At some point I met Olivier Tardy, my colleague from the Berlin period, and he drew my attention to the position in Vienna. In all orchestras I met excellent musicians* and therefore I am very happy about these stations and experiences. Many orchestras now have their own "young academies". Karajan already had this vision 50 years ago. The academies of the orchestras must first and foremost offer great development opportunities for the students. Students must be able to learn and play. They need good pay to be able to live in the city, and students must be able to develop musically. The whole package is crucial. What do you think is most important at the beginning of a professional career? Seizing the opportunities that are offered. Investing as much as possible and not limiting yourself by determining too early what you don't want. You have to be aware that we have a lot of good flautists, but relatively few positions. Of these, only a few are top positions. If you don't go to the audition, you deprive yourself of the opportunity. I was still studying in Salzburg when I was invited to audition for the Bayerischer Rundfunk. It was for a piccolo part that was not one of my favorites. When I arrived, a fellow candidate was playing a Vivaldi concerto. I heard it through the door and it was so beautiful that I didn't compete and went back home. I didn't think I could do it that way. Today I know that everyone sounds fantastic through the door and that one's perception can be deceiving. However, by not competing, I didn't have a chance at all. So not trying is not an option. This applies to competitions or entrance exams in the same way. You yourself have successfully participated in several competitions. What is the significance of competitions for artists? Competitions are fantastic per se, because good competitions offer possibilities and opportunities. There are usually many concerts and performance opportunities associated with them. I'm less comfortable with the shift of competitions to the online realm. I want to hear artists and their sound live. The best thing about competitions is that you learn new repertoire. There is a goal, you have to prepare and learn a certain repertoire. The path to the competition is perhaps more meaningful than the competition itself. What changes has digitalization brought about in your view? And what significance do CD and radio recordings have for classical artists today? Great careers for singers and instrumental soloists are still linked to recordings. Whether these will have to be available in physical form in the future is the big question. Recordings are still being produced, but rather to make them available for download. And there is also a trend back to vinyl for certain aspects and for the aficionados who still have a great stereo at home and want to revive these special worlds of sound. And then there are also countries like Japan, where the physical market is very important. A lot has already changed in daily use. We don't have drives on our computers anymore, my students can't do much with CDs. The industry is setting the pace here. In addition, we have all learned a lot about technology through Corona. We can hold a Zoom meeting flawlessly, operate the camera, sound and lights, and teach our students online. Even during a tour in Japan, that would not have been possible before. Flexibility has increased, even though everything has its limits. You also play chamber music. What is important to you in that? The chamber music repertoire for flute is beautiful. We are neither violinists nor pianists, but we have a beautiful repertoire in different instrumentations. This has to be cultivated. During my studies I played in a great woodwind quintet. We won the prize of the German Music Council, second place in the ARD competition and played together a lot for a few seasons. Today we are active in different orchestras, but maybe we will revive our quintet in retirement! I enjoy playing chamber music very much and also "poach" in the violin repertoire. I have a very good agency in Japan, as the Japanese market is a very important one for us flutists. Every year I play at least two tours in Japan with different instrumentation. In Vienna I play together with my wife. The beauty of my job is that I can draw from the full range of musical possibilities. I have the greatest opera and symphony repertoire and can also let off steam in chamber music. These experiences subsequently flow into my teaching. It's essential for me to actively live music to see where musical trends are going. We just premiered Don Giovanni in Vienna, and in the summer Currentzis turned Don Giovanni in Salzburg completely upside down. The differences could not be clearer. Of course, the question arises: what is my view of Mozart? What am I teaching, where is the spirit going? What is my opinion and is it scientifically based? You took part in the "Mozart 100 trail run" in Salzburg this summer and run marathons. What meaning does sport have for you? I was very sporty as a child, but then I smoked too much. I put an end to that overnight. Today, sports are an important balance for me. Sports make me more efficient and resilient. I also run the Vienna City Marathon and do some runs with friends. In summer I ride a racing bike and my family hobby is horseback riding. My wife and I have three children and all five of us ride. It's all about experiencing nature and yet there's a lot to learn and work on. I can incorporate a lot of that into playing the flute. Aspects of riding, such as body awareness and tension, I can transfer one-to-one into music-making. Although you live in Vienna, your job often takes you to Salzburg. Is there a particularly fond memory of your student days in Salzburg? I have fond memories of special places: for example, my lessons took place above the Marionette Theater, a place that had something almost enchanted about it. I lived on Wolf-Dietrich-Strasse, and St. Sebastian's Cemetery and Linzer Gasse are beautiful places that I still return to today. For me, it's a reference to Leopold Mozart, whose grave I could look at from the balcony of my shared apartment. Is there anything else you would like to leave us with? I admire and encourage anyone and everyone who wants to study music and make music and art their life's meaning. The arts in an increasingly technical and economic world are enormously valuable. We are here for the next generation and I really see myself as a "service unit". I want to encourage the young artists to finish their studies and continue. walterauer.at More portraits Paths to self-employment - Franziska Strohmayr 6.8.2025 Paths to self-employment - Franziska Strohmayr  The versatile and renowned violinist, project manager and lecturer Franziska Strohmayr grew up in Augsburg and came to Salzburg to study, where she still lives today after graduating from the Mozarteum University under Prof. Martin Mumelter and Prof. Wolfgang Gratzer and from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London under Prof. Jacqueline Ross. Alumnae & Alumni Stories Braver than before - Mariia Tkachenko 8.4.2025 Braver than before - Mariia Tkachenko  Mariia Tkachenko lived in Kyiv until March 2022, where she received singing and violin lessons as a child and has already appeared in several TV productions. Her acting studies at the I. K. Karpenko-Karyi Kyiv National University of Theatre, Cinema and Television were interrupted by the war in Ukraine. Alumnae & Alumni Stories A passionate (folk) music educator - Rupert Pföß 17.3.2025 A passionate (folk) music educator - Rupert Pföß  Alumnus Rupert Pföß has been working as a music teacher at Musikum Salzburg since 1996 and has been head of the folk music and harmonica department since 2012. He is also an extended board member of the Salzburger Volksliedwerk. His busy seminar and jury activities at various music weeks and music competitions enrich his everyday life as a musician time and again.  Alumnae & Alumni Stories From Kiev to Salzburg - Sofiia Musina 20.11.2024 From Kiev to Salzburg - Sofiia Musina  The flutist and instrumental music teacher Sofiia Musina came to Salzburg to study at the Mozarteum University in April 2022. From 2017 to 2022, she studied at the Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University in Ukraine and obtained a Master's degree in ‘Master of Musical Art. Educational and Professional Programme: Musical Art’. She wrote her master's thesis on the Ukrainian composer Myroslav Skoryk. Alumnae & Alumni Stories Art will always be there, even in the most difficult times - Meral Guneyman 5.11.2024 Art will always be there, even in the most difficult times - Meral Guneyman  Meral Guneyman is a versatile classical musician, with numerous releases, who is comfortable in both pop and jazz music, has transcribed many original works and is also an enthusiastic arranger and improviser. Her ability to move between classical and jazz with lightning speed and conviction is a rarity. In 2021, her arrangements of classic David Bowie songs were presented for the first time on ‘Steinway-Spirio’ - a high-resolution self-playing system of the highest quality. Alumnae & Alumni Stories Breaking down boundaries and barriers - Judith Valerie Engel 29.9.2024 Breaking down boundaries and barriers - Judith Valerie Engel  Judith Valerie Engel is an Austrian pianist, musicologist & feminist. After years of study in Salzburg, Helsinki and Vancouver, she is currently completing a PhD in Historical Musicology at Oxford University. She is a recipient of the Stone-Mallabar Doctoral Scholarship awarded by Oxford College Christ Church. She is also one of the ‘Public Scholars’ in the Public Scholars Initiative of the University of British Columbia. Both academically and artistically, her focus is on historical and contemporary women composers. Alumnae & Alumni Stories More news

News … Home News Genia Leis Genia Leis - Stage & Costume Designer 01.02.2022 Alumnae & Alumni Stories Iris Wagner © Gerald Sommerauer Skip page navigation Overview Conversation More portraits Alumnae & Alumni Network Return to slider start Genia Leis won the Max Ophüls Prize of the 2022 Youth Jury together with Gerald Sommerauer for the film "Risse im Fundament". She studied stage and costume design at the Mozarteum University and has already been responsible for costume and set design as well as equipment for numerous theater and film projects. After the fall of the "Iron Curtain" she emigrated with her family from Kazakhstan to Germany. Questions about cultural pressure to adapt in capitalism and the paradoxes of post-communist mentality play a crucial role in her creative processes. Genia Leis: stage & Costume Designer Berlin     Congratulations on the Max Ophüls Award! You are a set and costume designer and obviously feel very comfortable with directing as well? Yes! I held the position of art director on the film. In film, I've always had a mix of duties as art director and set designer, but I've also been involved in production, and I've always taken on the position of assistant director and worked a lot with the director in terms of content. I'm friends with female filmmakers, so I've been passionate about what I do in the past. Without passion, working on an emotional level doesn't work; I approach projects emphatically. Then about five years ago I made my first two short films as a director, "The yellow Wallpaper" deals with the theme of loneliness and will soon be submitted to festivals. For the current film "Cracks in the Foundation", which deals with the "MeToo story", I was already part of the team when production started. I dealt with the content of the script and was in constant conversation with Gerald Sommerauer (director) and Isabella Kröger (screenwriter). Gerald and I have been in close contact for many years and have developed a common language for filmmaking, and since it is important to include the female perspective and experience in a "Me Too" theme, he asked me if we would do it together. I knew the actors, who we cast together with a lot of thought, and so it became my official directorial debut. Somehow that suits me (laughs). What does this award mean to you and your colleague? The award means a great opportunity to be seen and heard. To generate attention. Of the many new young directors, not all get this chance. We have now succeeded in taking this first step. The next step is to apply for grants and scholarships, to pitch, to find producers in order to be able to continue working. With the current film we will now travel to festivals for about a year and then of course hope that film distributors will contact us. This is not so easy due to corona, because in the last two years we were "stuck" with the films due to closed cinemas, but in spite of everything we hope for the attention. After the theaters, the film should also be seen on television. This is a long process … Yes, even short films can sometimes take an enormous amount of time. It's always individual. We shot the film "The yellow Wallpaper" in just three days with three people in the film team, but the post-production took over four years. That has different reasons, sometimes content needs its resting phases until you know what to do with it. It takes a year and a half to make a short film, from the script to the finished film. Before that, the script has to be written and then you work on the attention for the film. You just did stage and costumes for a play at the E.T.A. Hoffmann Theater in Bamberg. Do you work in parallel for film and theater? Yes, it's crazy sometimes, but it just turned out that way. It's kind of a balance and I don't really want to do without either of them. In theater, stage and costume, in film art direction, screenplay and direction. I just have to find a good rhythm. What is the difference in the development of stage and production design? In set design, you actively search for spaces, you do location scouting. In stage design, you develop a new space in an existing black space, which is limited. A scene picture can be anywhere. It encompasses many places, spaces and expanses. Above all, it's not limited to the interior, so you have to think differently. This is also a good balance. Do you work primarily in planning or do you also like to lend a hand in the workshops during implementation? It happens every now and then, and I also think it's nice and important not to forget how the haptic works. Craft is everything, you have to say that. It's very important, even at university. Nevertheless, I already felt at university - not always to the enthusiasm of my professors - that I needed to get out, that I was missing the movement. I wanted to meet people, work with people, communicate, travel and see many things. I needed the input. Many students appreciate working in the workshops. I think that it is very important to give students the opportunity to go out, because each*one works things out in an individual way. For me, the craft and the communicative go hand in hand. I also make performative videos and do a lot of the design myself. In Altusried I work for an open-air stage with 2500 seats. Lay people build and design, sew and do everything themselves, but I have to show them how to do it. I demonstrate, hold workshops and explain how things work. Was your career path planned like this from the beginning? No. But I have to say that before university I had already worked in the theater for four years. I was inside that practice and couldn't "sit quietly in school" anymore. It was not an easy path, there were enough challenges. But everyone has to decide that for themselves individually. The important thing is to listen to yourself - even if it sounds strange. You feel best yourself what you need. How to move forward. I would always recommend looking outside, discovering new things, putting out your "feelers". How can you imagine the process of creating a stage set or the costumes for a production? What is the collaboration with the director like? How do you get started? First you read a lot (laughs). Theoretically acquire the material. Think about what we are telling. What fates are we talking about? Mostly, in art we tell about humanity, nature, creation, everything that surrounds us on an emotional level. We want to reach the audience. Therefore, it is important not only to look at the content spatially and creatively, but to deal with the material emotionally, empathically, almost sensitively. In parallel, you need the research work as inspiration and, last but not least, walking. As much as you need the input from outside, the "creative rest" is also crucial. For me, walking is very essential to let things work on me. What many neglect is the rest period where the brain can process things without having to be immediately productive again. This is something we totally neglect in "neoliberal capitalism." Moments of "non-productivity" - that's where creativity comes from. In my view, a constantly running engine does not always create creativity. When you have finished your research, you go into the conversation with the team. That's one of the most important steps. What have they been thinking about? What's the approach and what's the shared vision? In theater, but also in film, the hierarchy is very strong. The director has the last word. That's also good. For me personally, however, the "holistic" is then missing. That's another reason why I now direct myself, to create a whole vision. When I work with another director, I enter completely into that vision. This is where empathy, sensitivity and being responsive to each other is very important. In this role, as an artist, you really have to take a step back. You serve the stage, the piece. The question is, what does the play and the actors need in order to tell a certain story? What must the space be able to do? On the one hand, that limits creativity, but on the other hand, it builds a structure in which you can tell a story. The next step is to create a design and discuss that with the theater on a technical and financial level. This is followed by quite a lot of organization (laughs). It's about questions like: When will what be rehearsed? When will what be produced? Until finally the rehearsals start. This process takes about six weeks and then it's off to the premiere. Whereby the rehearsals are usually divided into several blocks by Corona. If there does happen to be a lockdown, productions are stretched out and others are brought out of the holding pattern. In the last two years, much of the art has been digital. What has been your personal experience with it? One positive effect was that I had to travel less. Model presentations could also be done online, unlike construction rehearsals. I think it's better when the rehearsal blocks at the theater return to normal and we can rehearse for six weeks at a time again, so that we can stay with the content. After all, we carry our plays into our lives and deal with them very intensively. Is the "gender issue" with hierarchies, pay, the proportion of women vs. men in your profession also a present one? Unfortunately it is, yes. It continues to be a struggle. As a woman, I have to keep reminding people of this. As a young woman, you were regularly kept down or treated poorly. In some cases, there was also generosity toward the young. Today as a grown woman who has arrived in life and earns her own money, I have to function within the system and that's where I really notice that the system is always working against me. Prices are pushed down, things are made impossible, often it's quite banal things that are perhaps not meant badly at all. At the last festival, my co-director couldn't be there and I held a photo of him up to the camera with my cell phone so that we could both be pictured. However, a photo was initially used in which my colleague was clearly visible but I was lost in the background. Unfortunately, I had to point this out so that we were both visible, even though it is a totally feminist and very diverse great festival. This has to do with our learned seeing and thinking behavior, which we have been trained in the patriarchal system. It's quite noticeable that as a woman you always have to be more behind in order to be treated as an equal. Often it's about micro-injuries. I still feel this is a big and important issue to work on. We women still have a harder time getting into the big "star director" or "star stage designer*" positions. It's not that women are less capable. It seems as if the opinion prevails that the man is the "safe option" and that's only because we've been taught that way for decades. What role does the topic of sustainability play in your profession? It's absolutely my theme. I would say I was one of the first to start doing that. I guess it also has to do with my background. I was born under communism, in Kazakhstan, and then came to Germany with my parents to capitalism, to a completely different system. My family taught me to recycle things and to be creative with things you have. With that, I also went to the theater. In the beginning, that was very unusual for many. In the trades, everything was usually made from scratch, or purchased, with very little used from what was available. I took existing costumes from the fundus, cut them up and produced new ones. At the Staatstheater in Mainz, for example, they found that quite funny (laughs). I had to establish myself with it first. Basically, I get my inspiration first from the fundis. In Altusried, I made knight's armor out of old leather jackets. Currently, I'm creating rococo dresses out of throw tents that we got donated. This works wonderfully for hoop skirts. We also make headpieces out of lampshades that we cover with fabric - all copyrighted by Genia Leis, of course (laughs). That's something I'm totally into! You are already in the middle of your artistic career. What was the path from university to theater like? What tips and tricks can you give young artists? It's important not to be shaken and to pursue your dream, to stay awake, open and curious about the world. You also have to allow processes of suffering and find space for them, so that you can then move on again. The problem in our "social media world" is that we are afraid of suffering processes. The world that is suggested to us is so colorful, so cheerful, so wholesome. We therefore believe that we, too, need to be that permanently. In our film "Cracks in the Foundation" there is the young woman who almost naively, ambitiously pursues her dream and is so deeply shaken by an experience…- it's an important process. On the one hand it is terribly painful what she experiences, on the other hand it is a process of recognizing one's own limits. Whereby it must not happen in the way it does in the movie…. Other people, teachers can give you a lot, but these are "only" thoughts, experiences, assumptions, opinions,…nothing is set in stone. There is no rule for everyone. Everyone has their own possibilities within themselves. Listening and respecting is important, but these are suggestions, not maxims. The important thing is to look for a wide range of opinions, and from that to arrive at your own opinions. Personally, I collected images. I wanted to learn to see. To see what others have done in order to draw from it. H ow does the "job market" for stage and costume designers work? Are jobs for stage and costume advertised per production? Is it possible to apply? As a stage designer, I can't apply. You can employ an agency, more and more are doing that. My experience is that word of mouth is very important and access works through the director. I already appreciated the proximity to the directing and acting department during my studies at the Mozarteum. I was able to make very good contacts and still work with these people today. Networks are very important. You should start early in this industry to get to know as many people as possible. In film, things are a little different, there are already one or two job openings for costume design, for example. What is the biggest illusion of aspiring stage and costume designers? That you can work as a freelance artist. What do you enjoy most about your job? What can be stressful? The design work, the freedom to "be creative" is especially nice. In addition, there is the "family" that usually develops while working together. What is not so nice is all the traveling. At the beginning it's a lot of fun, but at some point it becomes exhausting. I often miss my home. Sometimes I have the feeling that the theaters overtax themselves. There is too much programming. Trades and people suffer from the productions. Of course, that also spills over to the artists. The working atmosphere is then no longer as good, less friendly. Often the work becomes just something you have to do, and that's poison for the art. You feel the pressure of having to deliver in the way people interact with each other. When you think back to your student days, what do you remember most fondly? I particularly like to think of my shared apartment in a large old building in Salzburg near the university. That was a new reality of life for me. In the course of my studies, I found out how I wanted to work. The most beautiful thing was probably the experience with the people I met in my shared apartment and at the university. That has been with me all my life. People and communication are insanely important to me. I am also very grateful to my department and the professors for allowing me a lot and giving me a lot of freedom to find my way. More portraits Paths to self-employment - Franziska Strohmayr 6.8.2025 Paths to self-employment - Franziska Strohmayr  The versatile and renowned violinist, project manager and lecturer Franziska Strohmayr grew up in Augsburg and came to Salzburg to study, where she still lives today after graduating from the Mozarteum University under Prof. Martin Mumelter and Prof. Wolfgang Gratzer and from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London under Prof. Jacqueline Ross. Alumnae & Alumni Stories Braver than before - Mariia Tkachenko 8.4.2025 Braver than before - Mariia Tkachenko  Mariia Tkachenko lived in Kyiv until March 2022, where she received singing and violin lessons as a child and has already appeared in several TV productions. Her acting studies at the I. K. Karpenko-Karyi Kyiv National University of Theatre, Cinema and Television were interrupted by the war in Ukraine. Alumnae & Alumni Stories A passionate (folk) music educator - Rupert Pföß 17.3.2025 A passionate (folk) music educator - Rupert Pföß  Alumnus Rupert Pföß has been working as a music teacher at Musikum Salzburg since 1996 and has been head of the folk music and harmonica department since 2012. He is also an extended board member of the Salzburger Volksliedwerk. His busy seminar and jury activities at various music weeks and music competitions enrich his everyday life as a musician time and again.  Alumnae & Alumni Stories From Kiev to Salzburg - Sofiia Musina 20.11.2024 From Kiev to Salzburg - Sofiia Musina  The flutist and instrumental music teacher Sofiia Musina came to Salzburg to study at the Mozarteum University in April 2022. From 2017 to 2022, she studied at the Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University in Ukraine and obtained a Master's degree in ‘Master of Musical Art. Educational and Professional Programme: Musical Art’. She wrote her master's thesis on the Ukrainian composer Myroslav Skoryk. Alumnae & Alumni Stories Art will always be there, even in the most difficult times - Meral Guneyman 5.11.2024 Art will always be there, even in the most difficult times - Meral Guneyman  Meral Guneyman is a versatile classical musician, with numerous releases, who is comfortable in both pop and jazz music, has transcribed many original works and is also an enthusiastic arranger and improviser. Her ability to move between classical and jazz with lightning speed and conviction is a rarity. In 2021, her arrangements of classic David Bowie songs were presented for the first time on ‘Steinway-Spirio’ - a high-resolution self-playing system of the highest quality. Alumnae & Alumni Stories Breaking down boundaries and barriers - Judith Valerie Engel 29.9.2024 Breaking down boundaries and barriers - Judith Valerie Engel  Judith Valerie Engel is an Austrian pianist, musicologist & feminist. After years of study in Salzburg, Helsinki and Vancouver, she is currently completing a PhD in Historical Musicology at Oxford University. She is a recipient of the Stone-Mallabar Doctoral Scholarship awarded by Oxford College Christ Church. She is also one of the ‘Public Scholars’ in the Public Scholars Initiative of the University of British Columbia. Both academically and artistically, her focus is on historical and contemporary women composers. Alumnae & Alumni Stories More news

News … Home News Barbara Lindmayr Barbara Lindmayr - visual artist & art educator 01.03.2022 Alumnae & Alumni Stories Iris Wagner © Evelyn Kreinecker Skip page navigation Overview Conversation More portraits Alumnae & Alumni Network Return to slider start Barbara Lindmayr is a visual artist in the fields of graphics, painting, textiles and object art / installations. For a few years she has been passing on her knowledge as an art teacher to young people interested in art. She studied in Salzburg, Linz and Leipzig. A semester abroad led her to the Accademia di Belle Arti Venice. Barbara Lindmayr: visual artist and art educator Ottensheim     Are you a freelance artist and art educator? How do you reconcile the two and what is the beauty of your work? I am relatively new to the pedagogical field. I'm only in my fourth year working at the HBLA for Artistic Design - a vocational school. That means artistic education is the main focus and that is very challenging. What's nice is the social and interpersonal aspect of teaching, the "critical minds" I meet. It's a beautiful combination of theory and artistic practice. That was very important to me. Art history and art science were already very interesting to me during my studies. Through the pedagogical work, I can tie in with that again. This is a great enrichment for my practical artistic work. I also taught at a grammar school, but that wasn't quite my subject. It depends on the type of school and the teaching content. I feel more "at home" at the artistic vocational school. Here I can live my vocation, so I am very happy that this opportunity has arisen. How do you find the right place as a teacher? Before you are hired, you usually do an internship. You realize very quickly whether the type of school and the work are right for you. Do you see potential for the future generation of our graduates in the pedagogical field? Yes, as long as there are no further cuts in hours. Technical and Textiles have already been merged, and there is talk that Fine Arts will be bundled with the other two. If this plan is implemented, the situation will be more difficult. Whereby I am of the opinion that one must not "rationalize away" the craft, creative and artistic! It is a very important area! At the moment, interested graduates do get jobs. Possibly not immediately where they want to go, but the paths are open in principle. As far as I know, it is easier in Tyrol and Vorarlberg, in Upper Austria and Salzburg it is a bit more difficult because of the local training centers. People often want to stay in those places. Now about your artistic path. Your work has just been shown in two exhibitions. A common thread runs through your artistic work. Under the title "Cumulations" you create spatial installations, graphics and painting. You work in different techniques and with different materials: Nets, yarn, sheet steel, varnish & putty, ballpoint pen, ink, oil, acrylic. How can we imagine the process of creating a project? What is important to you? With the line and its accumulation, with condensation and dissolution of hatching and the possibility of suggesting spatiality with it, I have been occupied for many years. At the same time I am interested in perception and irritation, the effect on the viewer and his interaction, as well as the dimensions and the use of different materials and techniques in an unconventional way. The breadth of my artistic work was already founded in my education during my school years. It was then that my awareness of different materials emerged. During my studies I was engaged in painting and graphic arts and textile art was important and present for me from the beginning. I also sew my own clothes. The craftsmanship is very important to me. A single technique would quickly become too boring for me (laughs). One thing very often leads to another, sometimes by accident. Orange nets fascinated me in their structure and there were parallels to my graphics. That's how I came up with the idea of putting "net installations" in the room. A lot of things have to be tried out to see if they work. All my works are long, the leisure must remain. The way to the exhibition is a subordinate step. One of the ways I've shown the net installations is in public spaces, so that people come across them directly as they walk by. They recognize the material they often deal with in a different context. I want to challenge the viewer to look more closely. To develop an analytical view and to question things. Does the theme of sustainability play a role in your work? I also work with oil and acrylic, but of course I consider which materials to use and when. Working with nets is more in line with my basic attitude, of course. The handling of the material is the most important thing. Everyday or disposable material is always used in my work in an unconventional way. With your exhibitions you are regularly represented in Upper Austria. How does a young artist find a suitable exhibition space? A few spaces approached me, so I was lucky (laughs). For example, an exhibition organizer saw works of mine and offered me new exhibition spaces. One thing follows another. You can't give up, even if there are phases when things aren't going so well. You do need a certain amount of stamina. Among other things, I'm active in an art association, and that's how we've been able to make "vacant spaces" in the city accessible and use them for exhibitions in recent years. These were also "pandemic-friendly" spaces. In the last two years, a lot of art has been digital. What was your personal experience with that? Digital formats allowed you to participate in a lot of things you wouldn't have seen otherwise. As soon as the museums reopened, people started coming back to the exhibitions with joy. The real experience and impact of a work cannot be replaced by the digital world. But of course the digital also has great advantages, it's a complement. As an artist, I was not restricted by the pandemic, but in the area of teaching I was. I'm not convinced about long school closures. The interpersonal is an essential factor in teaching! What conditions do visual artists need from your point of view? A different status. Especially in the compulsory school, the artistic subject is seen as a "recreational subject". On the one hand, it's good that young people can express themselves freely in a subject without pressure, but on the other hand, the subject is unfortunately devalued as a result. Yet the work with the hands and the creative processes are so important. There is also a need for calls for proposals, grants and residencies are not equally accessible everywhere. There is certainly still a need for action here. What about work spaces? What spaces are available? How does one get a studio? Affordable spaces are difficult to access. The need is great. It is possible to form studio communities. There are a few places/institutions that offer spaces at favorable conditions, e.g. through grants, but that is certainly still too few. What do you want to give young artists to take with them? What do you think is important for an artistic and pedagogical career? You should already look for opportunities during your studies. As long as you are at the university, everything is organized. The work space, the exhibitions. Some planning of the next steps, whether it's a stay abroad, an exhibition, further studies, an internship, etc. is certainly advisable. Stays abroad, preferably for a whole year, I would strongly recommend! They enrich immensely. Where could there have been more in your studies? We were very well supported in our artistic practice and in our own work. But it was almost too little for teaching at a school. From today's perspective, I would have liked to have learned even more techniques and practices of teaching. Personally, I was very happy about the teaching situation at the Mozarteum University, but looking back, the pedagogical teaching could have been even more multifaceted. Whereas it will always be the case that you have to work out a lot of things yourself. I can say that my education was not a pure "teacher training" - but that was also the reason why I decided to study at the Mozarteum. It was so much freer than elsewhere. But the decision about priorities has to be made by everyone. I am still happy with the decision I made. You have completed a varied educational path. You pass on your knowledge to young people at a vocational school. Was your career path planned like this from the start? No, I actually wanted to study art. Pedagogy was the safeguard my family insisted on (laughs). Today I'm glad I did it that way. Teaching art is a great enrichment for me and, last but not least, it shapes my personality. barbara-lindmayr.at More portraits Paths to self-employment - Franziska Strohmayr 6.8.2025 Paths to self-employment - Franziska Strohmayr  The versatile and renowned violinist, project manager and lecturer Franziska Strohmayr grew up in Augsburg and came to Salzburg to study, where she still lives today after graduating from the Mozarteum University under Prof. Martin Mumelter and Prof. Wolfgang Gratzer and from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London under Prof. Jacqueline Ross. Alumnae & Alumni Stories Braver than before - Mariia Tkachenko 8.4.2025 Braver than before - Mariia Tkachenko  Mariia Tkachenko lived in Kyiv until March 2022, where she received singing and violin lessons as a child and has already appeared in several TV productions. Her acting studies at the I. K. Karpenko-Karyi Kyiv National University of Theatre, Cinema and Television were interrupted by the war in Ukraine. Alumnae & Alumni Stories A passionate (folk) music educator - Rupert Pföß 17.3.2025 A passionate (folk) music educator - Rupert Pföß  Alumnus Rupert Pföß has been working as a music teacher at Musikum Salzburg since 1996 and has been head of the folk music and harmonica department since 2012. He is also an extended board member of the Salzburger Volksliedwerk. His busy seminar and jury activities at various music weeks and music competitions enrich his everyday life as a musician time and again.  Alumnae & Alumni Stories From Kiev to Salzburg - Sofiia Musina 20.11.2024 From Kiev to Salzburg - Sofiia Musina  The flutist and instrumental music teacher Sofiia Musina came to Salzburg to study at the Mozarteum University in April 2022. From 2017 to 2022, she studied at the Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University in Ukraine and obtained a Master's degree in ‘Master of Musical Art. Educational and Professional Programme: Musical Art’. She wrote her master's thesis on the Ukrainian composer Myroslav Skoryk. Alumnae & Alumni Stories Art will always be there, even in the most difficult times - Meral Guneyman 5.11.2024 Art will always be there, even in the most difficult times - Meral Guneyman  Meral Guneyman is a versatile classical musician, with numerous releases, who is comfortable in both pop and jazz music, has transcribed many original works and is also an enthusiastic arranger and improviser. Her ability to move between classical and jazz with lightning speed and conviction is a rarity. In 2021, her arrangements of classic David Bowie songs were presented for the first time on ‘Steinway-Spirio’ - a high-resolution self-playing system of the highest quality. Alumnae & Alumni Stories Breaking down boundaries and barriers - Judith Valerie Engel 29.9.2024 Breaking down boundaries and barriers - Judith Valerie Engel  Judith Valerie Engel is an Austrian pianist, musicologist & feminist. After years of study in Salzburg, Helsinki and Vancouver, she is currently completing a PhD in Historical Musicology at Oxford University. She is a recipient of the Stone-Mallabar Doctoral Scholarship awarded by Oxford College Christ Church. She is also one of the ‘Public Scholars’ in the Public Scholars Initiative of the University of British Columbia. Both academically and artistically, her focus is on historical and contemporary women composers. Alumnae & Alumni Stories More news

News … Home News Hakan Ulus Hakan Ulus - composer 01.04.2022 Alumnae & Alumni Stories Iris Wagner © Anna Utkina Skip page navigation Overview Conversation More portraits Alumnae & Alumni Network Return to slider start Hakan Ulus studied composition with Ernst Helmuth Flammer, Adriana Hölszky, Claus-Steffen Mahnkopf, Tristan Murail, Aaron Cassidy and Liza Lim at the University Mozarteum Salzburg, the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy University of Music and Theatre Leipzig and the University of Huddersfield in the UK. He also completed a master's degree in contemporary music at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main. Hakan Ulus: composer Klagenfurt & Vienna     He has received numerous composition prizes and scholarships, including the impuls Composition Prize Graz, a scholarship from the Academy of Arts Berlin, a scholarship from the International Ensemble Modern Academy, his works are performed internationally by renowned performers such as Klangforum Wien and Ensemble intercontemporain, and his publications have appeared in Wolke Verlag, Rombach Verlag and Musik & Ästhetik, among others. He has given numerous lectures on his music in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States, and has given composition master classes in Madrid, Detmold, Singapore, and Udine. Since 2019, his works have been published by Edition Gravis. In October 2021, he followed the appointment to the professorship of composition and music theory at the Gustav Mahler Private University in Klagenfurt.   One of your works was selected this year for the MATA Festival in New York. A festival for new music that has been described as the "most exciting showcase for outstanding young composers from around the world." What does it mean for a composer to participate? The MATA festival is very well known in the U.S. and has a very good reputation in the international composition scene. It's not a prize in the strict sense. It was a call for scores. Every year over 1000 composers* submit their works, and a small selection of about 10 works make it to the festival. It's almost like a lottery (laughs). But of course I am happy about it and many people come to hear the works. I wrote the selected work, Auslöschung II, based on Thomas Bernhard's novel of the same name, for ten vocalists, and it premiered at the Kulturpalast in Dresden in 2019. A performance at the MATA Festival allows for very great attention. What role do prizes and scholarships play in the career of a composer today? A very big one. There are calls for scores, prizes, scholarships, residencies, and all these opportunities give composers* the chance to present themselves and their works. If we didn't have this opportunity for presentation, we would develop much more slowly in our work. The rehearsal work is a very crucial part of this. You learn an incredible amount. After my studies at the Mozarteum, I was very lucky to receive a scholarship from the International Ensemble Modern Academy in Frankfurt. I was allowed to work with the IEMA ensemble and the Ensemble Modern on a daily basis for a year. In the process, I learned a lot about rehearsal psychology and how to handle instruments. But also how to effectively lead a rehearsal. The direct practical experience to this extent is luxurious; you don't have that in the normal everyday life of a composer. There were two commissions, one for chamber instrumentation and one for large ensemble. One of my pieces was Tawāf for amplified grand piano, large ensemble, and electronics. The usual number of rehearsals of three was insufficient. I wanted 12 rehearsals; finally seven was enough. The number of rehearsals usually cannot be negotiated. It was indeed a luxury and I was able to take a lot from that time. Residency grants are also a very important thing because you see a lot. Travel is fundamentally important for the inspirations, the impressions, for things that you may not process directly but realize the significance of individual moments and acquaintances three four years later. Then there's the larger prize money, which broadens the scope. That allows the focus to be completely on composing. The smaller opportunities like Call for Scores, are equally important because one leads to the other and every performance is important. Therefore, every minute of rehearsal should also be used as effectively as possible so that the performance becomes exactly as it is envisioned. How can we imagine your work as a composer? What is your approach? How does a compositional process work? What role do harmony and rhythm play, how do you find the right chords? That's a great question (laughs). In May, I will give my inaugural lecture entitled Composing and Exploring at Gustav Mahler Private University, and it will be about exactly that. The composition process can't be generalized; of course, I can only speak for myself. First of all, it is very important that I have a certain regularity in composing. Relying only on inspiration is risky, because it can happen that you get lucky and a thought comes at the right time, but you can also get out of the process and then it's all the more difficult to get back in. My first professor at the Mozarteum, Adriana Hölszky, had always said: "Composing is like being on the open sea with a ship. When the wind is good, you have to set the sails." That means taking advantage of favorable situations artistically. Even if that means working through the night. For example, I often can no longer define or describe the actual moment of creation. I am then in a different state of consciousness. In art, one creates a second reality - as Adorno put it so beautifully. An artist lives in this other reality. Ingeborg Bachmann, for example, said that she only lived when she wrote. I maintain that this is true for all true artists. The concrete process has a lot to do with being alone, but you still need the feedback and collaboration with the musicians. New directions need to be tried out. For example, I call musicians I know and ask them to play something, to try something. Of course, you have to call the right people, because new things can often be difficult at first. It was important to me from the beginning to go outside and I would recommend it to everyone. That was one of the first things I learned from Adriana Hölszky. She said my work was quite great, but it was more important to go outside with the works so that they would be performed by professional ensembles. It's not enough to perform the works at the university with fellow students for a few years. But this is true for all subjects. This step automatically brings about a change in compositional thinking. Suddenly the boundaries of what is possible shift and at some point it is realized that there are hardly any limits. Composing is thinking without limits, dreaming. At some point, however, one is confronted with reality. Would you describe composing more as a craft or as a reflection of certain events, experiences, literary subjects or time periods/epochs? Reflection is a crucial aspect, also the reaction to certain experiences has meaning. Maybe not necessarily consciously, however one certainly reacts in the unconscious to things that have been experienced. A social responsibility also plays a role, as social events are reflected through art and bring new insights. Craft is certainly important for professional work. You have to know how to implement things. Whereas I think that a piece that is based on a good idea but the craft is not perfect is better than a piece with a bad idea and the best craft. Craft can always be learned - it is a means to an end. Creativity may be stimulated, but ultimately you either have it or you don't. Execution needs craft, which of course is reflected in composition lessons. However, at a certain point, a professional level, craft becomes less important: it is then taken for granted. Critical self-reflection, discussions about aesthetics, other arts, about events and so on follow. How do you manage to leave the familiar tones of renowned composers of past eras and create something completely new? There is no such thing as something completely new. Everything is evolution, all people have a tradition and socialization. Of course, attempts can be made to create breaks, but the unconscious remains. Even such great personalities as Stockhausen, who were certainly criticized, said that they did not break, but rather added. Schoenberg was not the great revolutionary either; he referred to Brahms again and again. But it can be tried to take other perspectives and thus to develop something new. The new is often not visible at first sight. Sometimes the composition process surprises you. The work must be extremely flexible in the process. Directions change and 12 minutes suddenly become 25 minutes, which the work requires. What has to emerge emerges. Regardless of whether it is performed once, ten times, or a hundred times. One good performance is more valuable than ten bad ones. Art is also allowed to fail in the process and result. That is quite essential. True to Samuel Beckett's motto "ever tried, ever failed, no matter, try again, fail again, fail better." Are there any particular sources of inspiration for you? Was it always clear to you that you wanted to compose? Yes, composing was my goal very early on. I started with piano, but composing was in the foreground early on. I have always been interested in creative work, and so I consistently followed this path. In the city where I grew up, there was and still is the Ensemblia Festival for New Music. In the more than 30 years of the festival, all the big names were represented there: Lachenmann, Hölszky, Spahlinger and many others. And so I was lucky enough to come into contact with New Music at a very early age. For me, there was no break between composers of the past centuries and composers of new music. That developed quite naturally for me. There are many sources of inspiration. Among other things, music from other parts of the world. I find music that works very strongly with ornaments exciting. From Arabic music we know that the musical, melodic line and not the harmony is in the foreground. This allows for a completely different richness in terms of connecting tones - with glissando and vibrato. Literature also plays a decisive role for me: in recent years, especially Thomas Bernhard. So I composed a large 45-minute Thomas Bernhard cycle. In addition, coffee houses play an important role as a source of inspiration (laughs). When I came to Austria in 2010, I immediately fell in love with Café Bazar. The inspirations are, of course, very work-specific. The important thing is to stay curious, to go through the world with open ears and eyes. That's why traveling is also very important. Although I've never been to Japan, I'm interested in the Karōshi phenomenon, for example. It refers to the culturally induced overworking that leads to death. My piece Karōshi for soprano with sound objects is part of the Bernhard cycle. With Bernhard, we know that the protagonists are always in an extreme state of inner and outer tension, due to certain events, depressive moods, etc. I also like to observe rituals from different cultural contexts and compose rituals from them in turn. You have already said a lot about your works, but is there anything else that you would like to particularly emphasize or convey with your compositions? It is very often about fragile states, about friction, it is about being tense. The stage presence must be extreme in my works. The way I interpret my music is very important. I emphasize this again and again in communication with the musicians. The musicians are extremely challenged in my works. This is an existential experience that has great significance for me. Both in the composition process itself and in the performance of the works. When my studies were finished, I lived freelance for several years, with many residency grants. I had no scheduling obligations and was completely free. In this situation, I tried different schedules for composing. Sometimes I composed at night, then started in the late afternoon, or in the evening - quite different. This was also an existential experience and sometimes exhausting for the body. The interesting thing I took away from this is that each work has its own schedule. Each work challenges me in a different way and I have to adapt to it. What role do publishers play in the careers of composers? How do you get a publisher? I was approached by Edition Gravis some time ago. It's a small publishing house in Berlin that is very committed to young artists. For me, this publishing house is a stroke of luck, because it prints my handwritten manuscripts. That is no longer a matter of course. At the Ricordi publishing house, for example, there is a competition in which only computer-written scores can be submitted. The winner then receives a publishing contract for several years. If a composer writes by hand, he/she is already excluded. I make few compromises when it comes to art. For me, the process of writing on paper is part of the work. The haptic experience is very important and personal. I also get this feedback from the musicians, who can interpret my scores better that way. Why are there far fewer female composers than male composers in the public perception? Fortunately, this is something that is changing. In my role as professor of composition at the Gustav Mahler Private University of Music, I actively campaigned for structural changes to take place. The background is explained by the history of music. It was simply not allowed for women to compose. We know the letters from Robert to Clara Schumann from which it is clear that Robert prevented Clara from composing; likewise the story of Alma and Gustav Mahler. Even if women composed, the works were not included in the canon. Music history is, after all, always music historiography of individuals or a group of individuals. But that is changing more and more. There are now also international prizes aimed exclusively at women composers. Ideally, we will overcome all of this at some point, and it will then only be about the quality of the works and no longer about who or which gender is behind the composing person. Because what matters is that music is full of quality and content, which gender, which skin color, which denomination a person has is completely irrelevant! You now pass on your knowledge and experience as a professor to young up-and-coming artists. What is the beauty of this work and what do you want to convey? From my point of view, it is very important to put yourself into the personality of the other person, which also comes up against natural limits. It's always about encouraging students so that their creativity reaches the highest level. You can tell very quickly if someone has talent. Talent is the most valuable gift to be nurtured. I also see myself as a companion to young composers who are searching for their own voice. Composing is always searching, no matter how old you are. You have to try to understand what is important for a young person at a particular moment. It can be very concrete things, something crafty or motivating. It can also be how to deal with rejections. It's important not to let yourself get sidetracked and to always keep going. That's what I want to convey, and I want to do it at eye level. Perhaps the term "composition students" is not ideal either; it would be better to simply call them young composers. Appreciation of the work and efforts of young composers is very important. Furthermore, the psychological aspect is also important. With the wrong choice of words, a lot can be destroyed in composition lessons. Artists are mostly very sensitive and delicate people. The sensitivity of language is therefore essential. Teaching is very enriching for me on several levels. Dealing with people of different ages shows, among other things, how different perspectives can be. When I teach, I reflect on my own perceptions and remember my own learning processes. It simply makes me very happy when I see that things I try to teach lead to success. However, I cannot show the young composers their way, they have to find it themselves. I can only give impulses, try to uncover hidden potential, help the young composers to uncover the way into their inner being. Because: If someone has something to say, he will also find the way and the means to say it. What skills do you think a good composer must have? To look for opportunities and to actively perceive them, to always keep going and not let oneself be sidetracked, to gain practical experience. There are many books about instruments, but when writing for clarinet, it's best to sit down with a clarinetist and rehearse, have things explained to you, try things out. Rehearsal experience is very important and can only be taught to a limited extent at university. Self-confidence must be built up and doubts reflected upon. Knowing about current developments in the scene is important in order to be able to contextualize one's own composing in society. It is a matter of keeping up to date. Festival visits and concerts are essential, or at least catching up on the internet if you can't go. It's important to know what pieces have just premiered to be as close to the practice as possible. What are you particularly looking forward to at the Gustav Mahler Private University in Klagenfurt? Because of the still-young accreditation of the Gustav Mahler Private University of Music, I am in the unique situation of building up the composition department from scratch, especially with my colleague Jakob Gruchmann. There are no entrenched structures like at many other universities. This is a very valuable task with a lot of responsibility. We are analyzing important aspects of composition studies, checking which subjects are needed and how the emphasis should be placed. We will certainly hear a lot about this program. We are also building a doctoral program in composition, which is scheduled to begin in two to three years. That is, of course, a very nice task! What working conditions would you like to see for composers*? What should change? There are many things! Basically, music, including contemporary art music, should be much more prominent in school education. The feeling and sensitivity for music must be developed. Unfortunately, many composers still work under precarious conditions. There are guidelines for composition fees, which are unfortunately hardly ever adhered to. Of course, there is the Composers' Association and the AKM, which represent these interests. On the other hand, it must be said that there has never been social justice in the arts. We still have to fight for our place in society and argue why our work is valuable. This is likely to continue for some time. Therefore, it is desirable that more commissions be awarded, many more concerts be held, better rehearsal conditions be created, and several performances be organized in different cities in addition to a premiere. If funds could be reallocated, I would say: Please put everything into art! www.hakanulus.de More portraits Paths to self-employment - Franziska Strohmayr 6.8.2025 Paths to self-employment - Franziska Strohmayr  The versatile and renowned violinist, project manager and lecturer Franziska Strohmayr grew up in Augsburg and came to Salzburg to study, where she still lives today after graduating from the Mozarteum University under Prof. Martin Mumelter and Prof. Wolfgang Gratzer and from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London under Prof. Jacqueline Ross. Alumnae & Alumni Stories Braver than before - Mariia Tkachenko 8.4.2025 Braver than before - Mariia Tkachenko  Mariia Tkachenko lived in Kyiv until March 2022, where she received singing and violin lessons as a child and has already appeared in several TV productions. Her acting studies at the I. K. Karpenko-Karyi Kyiv National University of Theatre, Cinema and Television were interrupted by the war in Ukraine. Alumnae & Alumni Stories A passionate (folk) music educator - Rupert Pföß 17.3.2025 A passionate (folk) music educator - Rupert Pföß  Alumnus Rupert Pföß has been working as a music teacher at Musikum Salzburg since 1996 and has been head of the folk music and harmonica department since 2012. He is also an extended board member of the Salzburger Volksliedwerk. His busy seminar and jury activities at various music weeks and music competitions enrich his everyday life as a musician time and again.  Alumnae & Alumni Stories From Kiev to Salzburg - Sofiia Musina 20.11.2024 From Kiev to Salzburg - Sofiia Musina  The flutist and instrumental music teacher Sofiia Musina came to Salzburg to study at the Mozarteum University in April 2022. From 2017 to 2022, she studied at the Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University in Ukraine and obtained a Master's degree in ‘Master of Musical Art. Educational and Professional Programme: Musical Art’. She wrote her master's thesis on the Ukrainian composer Myroslav Skoryk. Alumnae & Alumni Stories Art will always be there, even in the most difficult times - Meral Guneyman 5.11.2024 Art will always be there, even in the most difficult times - Meral Guneyman  Meral Guneyman is a versatile classical musician, with numerous releases, who is comfortable in both pop and jazz music, has transcribed many original works and is also an enthusiastic arranger and improviser. Her ability to move between classical and jazz with lightning speed and conviction is a rarity. In 2021, her arrangements of classic David Bowie songs were presented for the first time on ‘Steinway-Spirio’ - a high-resolution self-playing system of the highest quality. Alumnae & Alumni Stories Breaking down boundaries and barriers - Judith Valerie Engel 29.9.2024 Breaking down boundaries and barriers - Judith Valerie Engel  Judith Valerie Engel is an Austrian pianist, musicologist & feminist. After years of study in Salzburg, Helsinki and Vancouver, she is currently completing a PhD in Historical Musicology at Oxford University. She is a recipient of the Stone-Mallabar Doctoral Scholarship awarded by Oxford College Christ Church. She is also one of the ‘Public Scholars’ in the Public Scholars Initiative of the University of British Columbia. Both academically and artistically, her focus is on historical and contemporary women composers. Alumnae & Alumni Stories More news

The New Art and Music Ensemble NAMES recently received the ensemble sponsorship award of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, endowed with 70,000 euros. A conversation with Anna Lindenbaum, violinist and founding member of NAMES.

Wolfgang Richter studied German and History at the University of Salzburg and Art Education at the Mozarteum University. As an educator, he taught as an assistant at the Mozarteum University and at a Salzburg grammar school.

Last Saturday, after four intensive weeks under the artistic direction of Hannfried Lucke, the International Summer Academy 2024 came to a very successful end with 55 masterclasses, 13 additional courses and 66 concerts. 550 participants from 53 nations (average age 21) were guests in Salzburg. Twelve up-and-coming artists were honoured and each received 1,000 euros in prize money donated by the City of Salzburg's Cultural Fund.

Judith Valerie Engel is an Austrian pianist, musicologist & feminist. After years of study in Salzburg, Helsinki and Vancouver, she is currently completing a PhD in Historical Musicology at Oxford University. She is a recipient of the Stone-Mallabar Doctoral Scholarship awarded by Oxford College Christ Church. She is also one of the ‘Public Scholars’ in the Public Scholars Initiative of the University of British Columbia. Both academically and artistically, her focus is on historical and contemporary women composers.

In autumn 2024, bass-baritone Lisandro Abadie, actress Hanna Binder, conductor Christiane Büttig, visual artist Annette Fauvel, guitarists Giuseppe Feola and Bozhana Pavlova, cultural and media scientist Paul Feigelfeld, composer Laure M. Hiendl, pianist Lei Meng, soprano Allison Oakes and violist German Tcakulov will take up their positions as university professors at the Mozarteum University. We are looking forward to the collaboration!

Univ.-Prof. of Design Practice / DTT Education

Meral Guneyman is a versatile classical musician, with numerous releases, who is comfortable in both pop and jazz music, has transcribed many original works and is also an enthusiastic arranger and improviser. Her ability to move between classical and jazz with lightning speed and conviction is a rarity. In 2021, her arrangements of classic David Bowie songs were presented for the first time on ‘Steinway-Spirio’ - a high-resolution self-playing system of the highest quality.

At the 17th International Beethoven Piano Competition, organised by the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (mdw), pianist Martin Nöbauer won the 2nd prize worth a total of 12,000 euros (ex aequo with Jonas Stark) as well as the Klemens Kramert special prize worth 2,000 euros. Our warmest congratulations!