Musical Excellence
The Weimar Master Classes feature 17 concerts by visiting professors and participants
A colorful variety of concerts awaits the audience at the “66th Weimar Master Classes” at the FRANZ LISZT University of Music in Weimar. From July 24 to August 8, both visiting professors and participants will showcase their artistic talents in 17 concerts at the Festsaal Fürstenhaus, Forum Seebach, Hotel Elephant, SeaM Lecture Hall, and the Weimarhalle. Around 100 participants from all over the world are expected to attend the courses.
This summer, four Rome Prize winners—Malika Kishino, Fabien Lévy, Sina Fani Sani, and Hans Thomalla—will be teaching composition. On three public course days from July 24 to 26 at the university’s Fürstenhaus, the public can watch the international participants at work as part of the high-profile event “Wo die Citronen glüh’n – Villa Massimo zu Gast in Weimar” (Where the Lemons Glow – Villa Massimo Visits Weimar). The “ensemble via nova” will perform original works by the Rome Prize laureates at the opening concert on Friday, July 24, at 7:30 p.m. in the Festsaal Fürstenhaus.
In two additional concerts on July 26, the “ensemble via nova,” the “accordionduo con:trust,” and the Studio for Electroacoustic Music will also present works by the participants in the composition courses. As part of the “Masters in Concert” series, visiting professor Wen-Sinn Yang will take the stage on Monday, July 27. Accompanied by Tatiana Chernichka on piano, he will perform works ranging from the Viennese Classical period through Bohemian Modernism to American Romanticism.
Two “Masters in Concert” will be featured on August 1 and 2: First, violinist Tanja Becker-Bender will dedicate her performance to the 100th birthday of composer György Kurtág, before flutist Anna Garzuly-Wahlgren takes the stage the following evening to showcase the flute in all its facets with works ranging from Bach to Beethoven—at times delicate and heartfelt, at others virtuosic and passionate.
In addition to a variety of mostly free course concerts, selected participants in the Weimar Master Classes will perform together in two larger concerts. Under the title “Meisterhaft,” students of Nora Chastain (violin), Wen-Sinn Yang (cello), and Imre Rohmann (piano) will take the stage on July 31 at the Festsaal Fürstenhaus, followed by participants in the courses led by Tanja Becker-Bender (violin), Troels Svane (cello), Lilya Zilberstein (piano), and Anna Garzuly-Wahlgren (flute) on August 7.
Rounding out the diverse concert program is the “debut” of the young pianist Zhonghua Wei on August 3, who won first prize at the Weimar-Bayreuth Liszt Piano Competition in 2025. He will present a virtuoso evening featuring works by Franz Schubert, Franz Liszt, and Alexander Scriabin.
For a spectacular finale to the “Weimar Master Classes,” the audience can once again look forward to “The Best for Last”: The top participants from various instrumental courses will perform with the Jena Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Markus L. Frank, on Saturday, August 8, at 7:30 p.m. in the Weimarhalle. The program will feature outstanding performances from the previous orchestra studio, with the Jena Philharmonic—a long-standing, loyal partner of the Weimar Master Classes—as the accompanying orchestra.
Tickets are available at the Weimar Tourist Information Office and at the box office.
For more information: www.hfm-weimar.de/masterclasses
[2 July 2026]