absolutely - magical
End-of-semester concerts by the Collegium Musicum Weimar at the Schießhaus
Under the title “Absolutely magical,” the Collegium Musicum Weimar invites you to its end-of-semester concerts on Friday, February 6, and Saturday, February 7, both at 7:00 p.m. at the Schießhaus Weimar. Under the artistic direction of Sebastian Ickstadt, the program includes works by Johannes Brahms, Engelbert Humperdinck, and Peter I. Tchaikovsky. Tickets are available for €8, or €5 with a discount, at the Weimar Tourist Information Office and at the box office.
The evening will begin with Brahms' first and only violin concerto in D major, Op. 77, which is characterized by a distinctive interplay between solo violin and orchestra. The soloist, Hannah Kim, is a bachelor's student at the Weimar Music University in Prof. Dr. Friedemann Eichhorn's violin class and is currently an academician with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Contrary to Brahms' view that music is a self-contained, self-sufficient art form without programmatic content, the Collegium Musicum will present fairytale-like soundscapes in the second half of the concert, beginning with Engelbert Humperdinck's concert overture to his opera “Königskinder” (The King's Children). Alongside his opera “Hansel and Gretel,” this opera, which was written shortly afterwards, has been unjustly forgotten in the repertoire of opera houses. This is followed by the suite from Tchaikovsky's ballet “Swan Lake,” which enchantingly captures the story of the enchanted Odette in sound.
The Collegium Musicum Weimar, founded in 1994, arose from the desire of school music students to perform demanding symphonic works themselves in an orchestra. Prof. Michael Berg was the first conductor of the Collegium before it was handed over to the students of the Department of Conducting and Opera répétiteur studies. The Collegium has been an official ensemble of the Weimar Music University since 2018 and consists largely of students of music education and musicology.
The musical rehearsals are enriched by students from the Bauhaus University Weimar, the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, the University of Erfurt, and professional amateur musicians from all over Thuringia. In weekly rehearsals and a rehearsal weekend, the orchestra works on a challenging concert program each semester. Sebastian Ickstadt has been conducting the Collegium Musicum Weimar since the summer semester of 2025.
[28 January 2026]