A conversation with Bavarian soprano and Mozart specialist Teresa Boning about the high notes in *The Magic Flute* that led her to contemporary music, her work with street children in Costa Rica—which further strengthened her desire to study singing—and the influence of singing on psychiatric conditions.

The Theodor Körner Fund was established in 1953 by the Vienna Chamber of Labour to mark the 80th birthday of Austria’s then Federal President, Theodor Körner. Since its founding, the Fund has supported outstanding achievements across a wide range of disciplines. The awards are presented annually at a ceremony held at the Vienna Chamber of Labour’s Education Centre and are traditionally conferred by the Chair of the Board of Trustees together with the President of Austria.

Elisabeth Gutjahr, former president of the Mozarteum University, was awarded the State Medal of Honor for her work as a driving force for culture and scholarship in Salzburg. She was the first female president of the Mozarteum University, which she led from April 2018 to March 2026. We extend our warmest congratulations!

How can Mozarteum University become a “living room for Salzburg”? In her first article for the Salzburger Nachrichten university news section (published on 6 June 2026), Rector Constanze Wimmer reflects on the university as an open space for encounter, exchange, and cultural participation. Read on to discover why art is more than mere consumption, what role “third places” play in our democracy, and how the Mozarteum aims to bring people together in conversation.