Testimonials

“At this juncture, there is surely no need to explain the exceptional gravitational pull which places like Weimar, so rich in culture, have on young musicians. For me, it was simultaneously a great honour and chance to be able to study guitar under the excellent tutorage of Professor Thomas Müller-Pering.

From 2006 to 2013, the Bach House in Belvedere was not only the place where I spent hours innumerable (probably even longer than that) practicing – I also made wonderful friends there and had inspiring exchanges with excellent guitarists who brought ideas from all corners of the sky, exciting conversations about music and the world on our coffee breaks in the kitchen on a daily basis, and last but not least, found a safe place to develop my musicality freely. I have rarely seen such inviting rooms, not to mention the parklands all around.

I was, still am, eternally grateful to my teacher Professor Thomas Müller-Pering who is a role model for me because of his warmth and the irrepressible joy he takes in music. His patience, ability to motivate, profundity, and not least, his musical ideals, technical abilities and interpretations have greatly influenced my path as a guitarist and teacher. He encouraged me to seek my own experiences and to be curious and open for new things.

The short distance between things in Weimar was an advantage from the beginning. I had a lot of time to concentrate on the important things, could quickly drop into the library or attend a lecture in music history after just a short stroll. It also made it possible to actively keep in contact with other institutions and musicians at the university. This made things like wonderful chamber music projects possible and ‘gifted’ me with a trio. Even now that my degree has ended, we still thoroughly enjoy each concert together.

The highlight of my final year was, without a doubt, classes in Theorbe / Baroque guitar with the experienced lutenist Björn Colell who tours internationally. Classes with him were lively and practical. They opened my eyes to completely new perspectives and musical insights. He opened a new door for me and gave me important impulses which are a great advantage in this large musical market.

Weimar has become my home. I live and work here and am able to pass on much of what I learned at the university of music to my students. I travel all over but I am always happy to return to this small, but beautiful place.”

Anne Haasch, Weimar

Anne Haasch teaches classical guitar, accompaniment, and guitar for the classroom at the University of Music and Theatre “Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy” in Leipzig. Alongside her teaching, she devotes herself to chamber music and is a judge for the competition “Jugend musiziert”.
For more information see:www.annehaasch.com

“Weimar! The city of classicism. A place to which all kinds of important people retreated throughout the history of music and art. This unique flair and history cannot be experienced everywhere.

When I came to study at the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar in 2006, I was primarily concerned with my choice of teacher, but I noticed immediately that studying there was something special. For me, ‘time’ was the key word. At first glance, time seems to stand still in this city, but I’ve got to say, it’s exactly this time that you need to mature, both personally and artistically. The way in which my teacher, Professor Friedemann Eichhorn, worked through the pieces with me was spot on.

Alongside technical mastery of the music, a performer should always find their own personal, individual language. During my studies, I never felt that one had to become a soloist if one ultimately wanted to have professional opportunities. Rather, it was more important to develop into a mature, communicative musician. I never sensed an air of unhealthy competition between the students at the university: instead, I felt that my belief that music can only work if it is undertaken collaboratively was confirmed.

The position of importance that the Orchestra of the FRANZ LISZT University held at the university was also very special for me. We generally undertook two projects per semester, which were always followed with great interest by the lecturers and students, and, above all, they gave me a sense of what it meant to be an orchestral musician. What’s more, there were auditions for the leading positions in strings for every project, which provided the perfect preparation for subsequent auditions.

For me, the numerous projects in conjunction with lecturers and the collaboration between students was an important, impactful experience on each occasion, which contributed greatly to my artistic development, particularly in terms of orchestral experience. The courses with Professor Stefan Mai and the projects carried out by the Orchestra of the FRANZ LISZT University were always a core component of my studies.

Now, when I look back over my time in Weimar, I don’t want to forget all those experiences in either the musical sense or the human sense, and I have very fond memories of them.”

Maximilian Junghanns

During his studies at the Weimar University of Music, Maximilian Junghanns studied the violin under Professor Friedemann Eichhorn, under whom he also completed his Master of Music Degree and his Concert Diploma (‘Konzertexamen’) in February 2016. From 2010 to 2012, Maximilian Junghanns was first violin at the Philharmonic Orchestra of Gera-Altenburg. In 2012, he moved to the hr-Sinfonieorchester and since then, he has been a permanent member of this group. He has been second violin at the hr-Sinfonieorchester since 2017.

“My studies in Weimar from 2007 to 2012 influenced me greatly. I had never been so positively challenged! My bassoon professor Frank Forst, in particular, had a talent for seeing exactly what I was missing and for prising the best out of me in order to form me as an artist. It was from him that I learned how important self-discipline is, both for this career and for life, if you want to achieve your goals. Especially during my postgraduate diploma, I really enjoyed my teachers’ flexibility. When I was not living in Weimar any more due to work in Hamburg, I was able to still schedule my classes around my job.

Weimar has an extremely high concentration of students. For this reason, it was not difficult at all to meet nice people. These acquaintances developed into long-term friendships which have remained even after the end of my degree. For a small town, Weimar has a rich cultural landscape – as it to be expected of Goethe and Schiller’s town! – which I greatly enjoyed taking advantage of. The extremely cheap tickets offered to students at the university of music were especially good. In general, student life in Weimar is very comfortable. On the one hand, you get to know a lot of nice people, and on the other hand, you don’t get too distracted from your studies and you also have space to be alone.

The close collaboration of the University of Music FRANZ LISZT and the state orchestra Staatskapelle Weimar offered a good opportunity to gain professional orchestral experience as a substitute player already during my studies. This was particularly applicable to string players – but I got lucky as a woodwind player. Another highpoint of my time in Weimar were the master classes in summer which were offered to students at the university of music for an unbeatably low price. This made it possible for me to take classes with renown musicians, such as Prof. Klaus Thunemann or Prof. Sergio Azzolini or sit-in on all the other interesting courses.

All in all, I am very much looking forward to my next visit in the city which was my home for five years of my life: to meeting good friends, a beer in the student’s bar M18 or a pizza at Antonio.”

Christian Elsner, Hamburg

Christian Elsner has been a solo contrabassoonist with the Hamburg symphony orchestra since 2011. In 2012, he completed his degree in Weimar with a postgraduate Diploma in performance with top marks.

“The University of Music Weimar has a great reputation, especially its conducting department! Conductors at the start of their career rarely have the opportunity to ‘play’ our ‘instrument’ - the orchestra. We need the practical experience plain and simple: concrete work with an orchestra, the chance to experience the sound in our own bodies, the communication, and the psychology of the people, not to mention the musical interpretation of a piece.

The university of music in Weimar offered these practical components from the very start of the degree: I remember how wonderful it was to work with the Jena Philharmonic and the Vogtland Philharmonic in Greiz Reichenbach, as well as job shadowing with the university of music’s orchestra and courses in ‘Marienbad’ and ‘Teplice’. This time in front of the orchestra was invaluable: we could test our limits, make mistakes, learn was it means to lead and to be led – the start of highly complex lifelong learning processes!

Personally, I was very grateful to have the feeling of being in good hands during this process: I have much to thank my teachers for. Each individual subject fitted into the big picture of conducting as a profession. Even though Weimar is a smaller town, compared to Berlin for instance, it is connected to a rich and inspiring history and you can concentrate on yourself and on your studies really well.

And if you then also have teachers at your side with broad horizons and who understand what it means to have to ‘just quickly’ go and listen to a rehearsal in Berlin and who support you beyond ‘normal’ university life, then this is just the perfect combination!

David Afkham

David Afkham has been lead-conductor and artistic director of the Orquesta Nacional de España in Madrid since 2019. In addition, he is also an internationally sought-after opera and concert conductor.

"I owe the Franz Liszt Music University in Weimar a solid top-level education (2002-07) as an artistic-administrative generalist. It enabled me to square a circle that is probably unique in the world, namely to complete five degree programmes (Opera répétiteur studies, Composition, Music Theory, Piano, Arts Management) in five years and to graduate between 2007 and 2010, as well as to take part in extracurricular conducting projects of the "Dirigentenschmiede" and to participate in the orchestra "Collegium Musicum" (1 year), in the university chamber choir (2 years), in five different university committees and in an appointment committee (conducting).

Among countless lasting memories of my full-throttle studies in Weimar, I particularly like to think back to the infallible conducting skills of Prof. Gunter Kahlert and Prof. Jürgen Puschbeck, the excessive virtuoso high-pressure sight-reading training on two pianos with Prof. Ulrich Vogel, the functional-clinical singing lessons with Martin Ulrich, the highly sensitive detailed work with Prof. Gerhard Erber (piano), Prof. Karl-Peter Kammerlander (song interpretation) and Gerd Amelung (harpsichord), the creative and unconventional approaches of Prof. Christoph Ritter (song interpretation) and Prof. Dr Albrecht von Massow (musicology) as well as various opera projects, opera internships and international conducting masterclasses.

However, my composition studies with Prof Michael Obst were the most formative: as a gifted teacher, he introduced me to the secrets and fascinating power of new music and encouraged me from the outset to pursue an independent compositional path: "You are the composer!" The composers' colloquium remains unforgettable, where, together with my critical fellow students, the works of established contemporaries were scrutinised and admired and torn apart in equal measure.

I came to Weimar as a seeker and after five intensive years found my vocation as a composer, which I have been pursuing (very independently) ever since. I gratefully carry my Weimar tools - my practical experience as an instrumentalist, vocalist, conductor, music theatre person and cultural manager - in my luggage as a source of inspiration!"

Ansgar Beste

Ansgar Beste is a freelance composer. Further information: www.ansgarbeste.com 

“Small town with world-wide fame, open air museum, cultural hotspot– Weimar is a paradise. For studying too. I always found it inspiring to live in a town in which great poets, thinkers and musicians rubbed shoulders. You can stumble from Lucas Cranach to Johann Sebastian Bach, from Schiller and Goethe to Herder und Wieland, from Hummel to Wagner – and somehow it is as though this place is still breathing the spirit of these great men.

Weimar is large enough for you to develop as an artist and small enough to let you concentrate on the important things. This was one of the main arguments for studying in this little town. In the ‘90s, the voice department had risen in reputation through the work of Prof. Eugen Rabine and his functional methods. I found this modern vocal training and appreciation for the voice and for people to be incredibly beneficial. There are still many vocal coaches using the functional method at the university of music today.

The song courses with Prof. Karl-Peter Kammerlander were especially helpful for my artistic development. I like to look back on this intense work together with with songs and almost forgotten melodramas. Evan Bortnick gave me valuable impulses for my development as a vocal coach. Evan Bortnick is curious about almost everything which has to do with the voice. He passed this spark on to me. Today, I train people who rely heavily on their voice in their profession.

Frederik Beyer, Erfurt

Frederik Beyer was a multi-award winner at the International Melodrama Competition in Prague. He works as a successful speaker on the radio and television, including stations such as the “Mitteldeutschen Rundfunk” and “ZDF”. In addition, he is a sought-after vocal and speaking coach across Germany. For instance, he has had coaching contracts with the University of Erfurt and the media academy “Hochschule der Medien” Stuttgart; trains budding international singers in diction at the Lyric Opera Studio Weimar; and regularly teaches at the school of speech “Schule des Sprechens” in Vienne.
For more information see: www.frederikbeyer.de

"The six years I spent studying singing in Weimar are a special experience for me. This time as a young adult in this very special area of German (cultural) history, picturesquely embedded in Thuringia's hilly landscape, had a huge impact on me both artistically and personally. The vocal department at Belvedere Palace always had a very special atmosphere - especially in the summer semester. Especially for a singer, who inevitably also deals with German literature when singing lieder, life in a city where all the greats of culture were actually on hand must be something great. Also, or precisely because it is not a pulsating metropolis. Where else do you have the opportunity to go for a three-step walk in one of the city's beautiful parks between two lessons?

I am still in close contact with my singing professor Mr Lanskoi and talk about every step I take in my professional life. It was exciting for me to experience that after my first year at the Tiroler Landestheater Innsbruck, he no longer saw me just as a student, but also as a colleague. I remember wonderful hours with Ursula Lenk or Professor Kammerlander in the Lied programme as well as intensive rehearsals with Professor Fulda in the studio theatre for the university's opera productions.

When I left the Fürstenhaus after my recital for the concert exam in summer 2011 and realised that I had really done everything there was to do as a student at the university, I knew that I would always love to come back to Weimar. And now that I'm strengthening the ensemble in Halle / Saale after my stops in Innsbruck and Kiel and am therefore back in the neighbourhood, I certainly will!

Ulrich Burdack, Halle / Saale

Ulrich Burdack has been singing with the TheaterPhilharmonie Thüringer in Gera and Altenburg since the 2016/2017 season. In 2018, he was awarded the Theatre Oscar by the theatre associations of the cities of Gera and Altenburg. Further information: www.ulrichburdack.de

“My years studying at the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar from 2005 to 2013 formed and decisively influenced my musical identity. Prof. Michael Schiefel and Prof. Jeff Cascaro gave me very individualised lessons in my jazz vocals major, for which I was very thankful. To this day, Prof. Wieland Reißmann (composition and arrangement) remains my mentor in questions of music philosophy and arrangement. I have him to thank for being able to establish a secondary means of support as a composer and arranger.

Prof. Leonid Chizhik influenced me on the keys like no other. I will always remember those special hours in his class. Room 203 in the “Fürstenhaus” was the creative home of a unique group of artists who are now highly successfully taking their own paths all across the world.

Audio engineers “par excellence” Matthias Middelkamp and Joachim Müller were always there for me with an open ear. I learned more about the realities of music in the recording studio than anywhere else. Postgraduate studies in piano improvisation with Hinrich Steinhöfel rounded-off my time in Weimar.”

Indra Tedjasukmana

Indra Tedjasukmana is now one of the world’s most sought-after beatboxers and has become a brand unto himself with his world-wide gigs in Singapore, Montréal, and Helsinki, amongst others. He has been awarded international prizes, such as the World Vocal Award in Taipei, Taiwan.

There is hardly a more beautiful place to do a doctorate on the songs and poetry of the Romantic period than the Department of Musicology Weimar-Jena. Located in the "Weimar Acropolis", with a view of the English landscape garden of the Ilm Park (where the romanticisation of nature and the Middle Ages can be sensually experienced on a walk!), and only 15 minutes away from the early Romantic city of Jena. I spent nine intensive years at the Weimar Department from 2012 to 2021, first as a doctoral student and research assistant, then as a postdoctoral fellow and lecturer, before a postdoctoral position took me to the Philipps University of Marburg in 2021 (fairytale city, so also quite romantic!).

What I loved most about Weimar was the short distances - not only geographically between my flat, the institute, crêperie and university daycare centre, but also within the university: I organised several artistic and academic projects, which was only possible thanks to the wonderful coexistence of academia and artistic practice under one roof. I particularly remember my involvement in the Weimar Song Festival, together with Prof Kammerlander. On several occasions, I was able to give lectures and organise discussion concerts, and thus actually bring the romantic song repertoire that I had rediscovered to performance.

I also found the variety of research specialisations at the department very inspiring. The range of differently orientated professorships and research projects that the Weimar Department hosts is truly unparalleled, and I found it great to witness the progress of the various projects at the weekly colloquium sessions. But I also got to know wonderful people outside of my artistically and academically orientated colleagues, for example in the administration and library, who were always happy to help and advise me.

I enjoyed walking up the steep path first to the Horn and later to the Altenburg every morning, enjoying the magnificent view, the nice colleagues and the inquisitive students. Fortunately, I don't have to do without much of that in Marburg either: Instead of strolling along the Ilm, I now stroll along the Lahn in the morning, look out over the Landgrave's Palace and the Spiegelslust Tower and am looking forward to bringing the experience I gained in Weimar to the Marburg institute.

“I studied music teaching at the University of music FRANZ LISZT Weimar from 2002 to 2007, majoring in classical piano with complementary studies in classical voice and jazz/pop/rock vocals.

I attended seminars run by Prof. Gero Schmidt-Oberländer during my degree, while classes in “Schupra” (practical keyboard skills for the classroom) were primarily with Stefan Bauer and two semesters with Wolfgang Drengk. The subject “Schupra” has a higher priority in Weimar than at almost any other university of music. This is reflected in the number of professors and tenured positions for classroom keyboard skills as well as in the many semesters of one-on-one teaching students are entitled to – which is not a matter of course at German music academies and universities.

“Schupra” is one of the most important subjects for students of music teaching because it offers a very comprehensive subject which primarily includes the areas of accompaniment, sight-reading, and improvisation. Skills from the areas of piano, singing, music theory, and music teaching are brought together and applied in practice. The subject is intended to prepare students for the careers later and, at the same time, it extends the students’ possibilities for artistic expression. “Schupra” facilitates the latter very well e.g. through improvisation but also through the wide-range of skills – from figured bass and (international) folk, through to jazz and contemporary pop music.

In my opinion, a good music teacher should be able to move in these different areas, both in piano and singing as well as in group-leadership. The artistic quality of the subject was once again demonstrated at the national “Schupra” competition in Weimar recently. Looking back, I can say that my education in Weimar (and at various tertiary institutions) and my experience as a music teacher did a very good job of preparing me for teaching this subject. In this context, I am very grateful that the HfM Weimar has been providing many lectureships in this field for some years now, which offers students (current and previous) the possibility to gather their first teaching experience in this subject”.

Prof. Tobias Usbeck, Würzburg

Tobias Usbeck tutored “Schupra” already during his degree. During his practical teaching certification at the grammar school Humboldt-Gymnasium in Weimar and then later when he was working as a teacher, he also did lectureships in “Schupra” in Weimar, Leipzig, and Erfurt. Tobias Usbeck was appointed Professor for practical classroom keyboard skills at the University of Music Würzburg in the summer semester of 2016.

“Weimar – a magical place. Alleyways out of a painting, stately buildings and squares which invite you to wonder in the footsteps of Goethe, Schiller, Bach, Liszt, and many others. But Weimar’s cultural life is not stuck in the past. It stands with both feet firmly planted in the present: alongside large institutions like the Klassik Stiftung Weimar and the German National Theatre DNT, it is first and foremost the University of Music FRANZ LISZT and the Bauhaus University Weimar which are influencing, forming, and promoting the new – young! – local high culture.

My love affair with Weimar began in the year 2005 when I started my degree in the subjects of musicology, cultural management, and French literature in Weimar and Jena. The appeal of studying musicology and cultural management in Weimar lay primarily in the strong practical approach which studying at a university of music offers. This promise was quickly fulfilled: I was included in practical projects right from the start of my degree: I worked at the university’s own arts agency weim|art for many years, curated my own concert series in cooperation with the TU Ilmenau, and assisted at the international LOUIS SPOHR competition for young violinists.

The broad range of seminars offered made it possible to get a good sense of direction for a career in musicology and cultural management later. Alongside the highly qualified professors and teaching staff at the university of music – I hold opera seminars with Prof. Dr. Helen Geyer and the field trips for cultural studies with Prof. Dr. Steffen Höhne in loving and valued memory – there was a broad range of classes with guest lecturers with both academic and practical backgrounds. I found enough fodder for my love of opera and theatre: theatre studies seminars with Dr. Arne Langer, the head dramaturge at the Erfurt theatre; theatre management courses with the then director of DNT Weimar Thomas Schmidt; insights into the culture-politics with the director of the German cultural council Olaf Zimmermann, and much more.

The strong practical approach taken at the HfM FRANZ LISZT Weimar prepares its students for professional life in a number of ways and makes starting out in a career easier. I am still strongly connected to the university of music and I still look forward to being in artistic communication with the university through my profession as music theatre dramaturge at DNT.

Kathrin Kondaurow, Weimar

Kathrin Kondaurow has been music theatre dramaturge at the German national theatre DNT since the 2011/12 season. The play development of Luigi Nono’s “Die erleuchtete Fabrik” which she designed together with director Julia Huebner was awarded the Götz-Friedrich prize. In the 2019/20, she took on the role of artist director at the Staatsoperette in Dresden.

“I believe that there must be hardly any other person who is less typically musicologist than I. Even so, my musicology degree in Weimar changed my life. Not directly through the studies, but more the encounters I had with unique and completely different personalities during my studies in Weimar.
On the one hand there were the professors and teaching staff: where a good audition was enough for many, for me, there were other issues caused by my non-standard educational background. Without even knowing me, Dr. Christoph Meixner personally made it possible for me to never-the-less study in Weimar back then. Prof. Albrecht von Massow supported me personally during my studies and emphasised that I had talent as a teacher even before I realised that this would be my profession. Press officer at the HfM Jan Kreyßig was also a kind of ‘teacher’ for me during the almost three years I held a student position in the press and print media office and I learned a lot from him both professionally and personally.

On the other hand there were the encounters in day-to-day life in Weimar: my time with the Collegium Musicum Weimar was particularly influential, because this is where people from all sorts of different areas come together. The orchestra does not just bring together students from the different subjects at the HfM Weimar (musicology, cultural management, music teaching, church music, conducting, jazz, etc.) but also from the Bauhaus Uni Weimar (Architecture etc.), the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (medicine etc.), as well as individuals whose student days are long over. In the Collegium Musicum, it didn’t matter at all what area you came from, what language you spoke, or how old you were, and it still doesn’t. We were simply connected by our desire to play music and our love of classical orchestral music. In this circle friendships were made which formed myself and still guide me until today.

All these encounters during my studies have proven to be worth more than their weight in gold for my current job as concert pedagogue with a classical orchestra. They are irreplaceable! This is because you have to pick people up where they are when you are introducing them to the music of a symphony orchestra. It doesn’t matter what area they come from, what language they speak, or how old they are. It cannot be your aim to ‘convert’ someone to classical music. Instead, it is primarily to open the door to this often rather strange world and to find a way to approach it. The power which lies in the music will reach those people who are open to it.”

Lena Voss

Lena Voss has been working as an editor with Production Partner since 2017.

"I associate a lot of positive things with my time in Weimar. Weimar is familiar, extraordinary and endearing. A world cultural heritage site - popular and frequently visited by tourists and school trips, yet not dominated. It is a young, colourful and above all musical city. There are simply so many interesting people in this place - musicians, architects, scientists, film-makers, students and professors. And, of course, the people of Weimar themselves, who seem to get on very well with this mix. All this results in an incomparable, friendly and familiar atmosphere.

What's more, the city is very liveable, especially for students. I enjoyed attending the many (free) concerts by jazz students at the highest level, taking advantage of the sports programme at Bauhaus University or being able to participate in the chamber choir at the Music university - a great experience that has shaped me to this day. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Professor Puschbeck once again for taking the risk of including a cultural manager and cellist in the choir ... Other important aspects for me were the beautiful old town, the great park (ideal for jogging or walking) and, of course, the opportunities offered by Weimar's surrounding area: You can be in Erfurt or Jena in 20 to 30 minutes by train, combined with "metropolitan" offers, a larger pub scene and basically a bit more hustle and bustle.

Thanks to Professor Höhne and his great team around Ralph-Philipp Ziegler, who is now in charge of cultural affairs in Offenbach, the Arts Management programme was also an enrichment for me personally. Thanks to the university's links to Finland, I was able to broaden my horizons in the pop business in Jyväskylä (central Finland) as part of the International Music Management programme there. A great thing. Weimar is certainly not suitable for everyone. But if you like the quiet, personal atmosphere of this lovely city and know how to make the most of the many opportunities, you'll have a great time."

Uwe Wagner

Uwe Wagner, born in 1982, has been Managing Director of Neunkircher Kulturgesellschaft gGmbH since the beginning of 2014. Together with his team, he is responsible for the municipal gallery, the adult education centre, the music and musical school and over 140 events with around 70,000 visitors a year. Wagner's previous roles included administrative director of the Rheingau Music Festival.