All good things come in threes
The 3rd alumni get-together at the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar brought an incredible number of alumni back to Weimar.
Some hours before the official start of the alumni get-together, several former students began wandering through the Fürstenhaus to awaken old memories, and look at all the changes that had been made. Others made the most of the lovely sunny weather, having a chat on the square in front of the main building of their alma mater. All told, 240 graduates accepted the invitation to come to Weimar – more than ever before! The first joyous moments of reconnection could be seen, even during registration in the foyer of the Fürstenhaus.
The alumni day was opened by the dean of the university, Professor Rolf-Dieter Arens, on 1 November 2009. Every last spot in the Festsaal was filled, as he welcomed alumni who had travelled from near and far. In his welcome, he emphasised how important it was for the university to keep in touch with its graduates: after all, the university wants to take into consideration all the thoughts and requests of every student who studied there, and has now gathered a wealth of hands-on experience.
During the festive reception, artistic accompaniment was provided by students of the university: a varied, top-class programme was offered by Professor Martin Spangenberg’s clarinet class, with Ludwig Schwark (double bass), Matej Freml, Patrick Vacik (both guitar), Luise Arndt (violin), Hsin-Pei Liu (piano), Joanna Lemiszka (violin), Rodrigo Guzman (guitar), Predrag Tomic (accordion) and a jazz ensemble. The enthusiastic applause and a comment by a former student after the concert: “Simply the best,” bore witness to the fact that the audience loved the performance.
Subsequently, guests had a choice: some took a tour through the Klostergebäude Am Palais, the Fürstenhaus and the hochschulzentrum am horn, led by Professors Ulrike Rynkowski-Neuhof, Andreas Lehmann und Hans-Christian Steinhöfel. Lots of alumni grabbed the opportunity to take a short journey back in time – and to the present and future of studying music in Weimar, too. The others headed straight for the cafeteria by the park, where a delicious buffet was waiting for the alumni. Alongside the culinary delights, catching up with other alumni was the order of the day. Some had maintained close friendships since their time as students, but many hadn’t seen each other ‘for an eternity’, and they wasted no time in swapping addresses and drinking a toast to seeing each other again.
The highlight of the 3rd alumni day was the final concert of the 6th International Franz Liszt Piano Competition Weimar-Bayreuth in the evening, at the Weimarhalle. The three finalists, Lin Zi Pan from China, Oleksandr Poliykov from Ukraine and the winner, Gábor Farkas from Hungary, offered the audience an outstanding taste of their skills, winning over not just the expert alumni but also everyone else in the packed venue. The outstanding concert was a fitting end to a stimulating, interesting alumni day, which was rounded off with a cosy gathering in the Weimarhalle after the concert, which a large number of people attended.
