Change of office

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Prof. Dr. Jan Philipp Sprick elected new President of the Hamburg University of Music and Drama

Identified by a search committee, elected by the University Senate and confirmed yesterday by the University Council: Prof. Dr. Jan Philipp Sprick will become the new President of the Hamburg University of Music and Drama (HfMT) on October 1, 2022. The formal appointment by the Senate of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg is still pending. The current President, Prof. Elmar Lampson, will retire at the end of September at the age of 69 after 18 years as President of the HfMT.

Prof. Dr. Jan Philipp Sprick, born in 1975, studied music theory, viola, musicology and history in Hamburg, Berlin and at Harvard University. Since 2018, he has been Professor of Music Theory at the Hamburg University of Music and Drama, where he has held the position of Vice President for Studies and Teaching since 2020. Following his election by the Academic Senate and today's confirmation by the University Council, the Senate of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg will now take the next step in accordance with the provisions of the Hamburg Higher Education Act (HmbHG) and begin the appointment procedure with effect from October 1, 2022.

Prof. Dr. Jan Philipp Sprick has accepted the election by the Committees of the Hamburg University of Music and Drama: "I would like to thank the members of the Academic Senate and the selection committee for their confidence in me. I am enthusiastic about the quality and breadth of the university and I am deeply convinced of its potential. There have been few times in the history of the HfMT like the last few years when there have been so many changes almost simultaneously, such as the construction of the new Jazz Hall and the opening of the campus on Wiesendamm in Barmbek. These changes must now be shaped and brought into balance. In view of social challenges such as diversity and the changing nature of careers in the cultural sector, the university will remain true to its claim of being a pioneer and responding to such developments with forward-looking concepts. We need to fundamentally rethink our curricula and open up the university to society even more than before. I am optimistic that we will find answers to these challenges together."

The first person to congratulate him on Wednesday was the current President Prof. Elmar Lampson: "The search committee has made an excellent choice. With his extensive experience in university management and his artistic and academic diversity as a professor of music theory and as a violist, he spans the entire spectrum of the university. Jan Philipp Sprick will continue the successful development of the university and give it new impetus. I am delighted with this choice and wish my successor courage, skill and imagination for this wonderful task."

Science Senator Katharina Fegebank: "I warmly congratulate Prof. Dr. Jan Philipp Sprick on his election as the new President of the HfMT. He has a complex task ahead of him: the university stands for outstanding education in such diverse fields as Music, Drama and Cultural and Media Management with more than 1,500 students. The HfMT is internationally networked and radiates artistic excellence and academic excellence all over the world. With over 600 cultural and musical events a year, the university also has a direct impact on the entire city. In Jan Philipp Sprick, we are gaining a forward-looking leader whose career combines art, science and management experience and ideally complements each other. I look forward to working with him in the future. I would also like to thank Prof. Elmar Lampson, who has been an excellent university president over the past 18 years. With great foresight, he has further developed the study programs and sharpened the profile of the HfMT, providing impetus and positioning the university internationally. I look forward to the remaining months of collaboration."

Michael Lang, Chairman of the University Council, also congratulated the future President:
"Prof. Dr. Jan Philipp Sprick has convinced the search committee with an intelligent and innovative concept for the future of the HfMT, which shows the university as a very efficient, complex, always passionately moving and internationally networked place of inspiration. We are gaining a person to succeed Prof. Elmar Lampson as President who has great expertise and creativity, but also the strength to bring people together and lead them in an appreciative manner. In the age of a global pandemic and the additional challenges that will arise in the future, Prof. Dr. Sprick offers a long-term perspective and will represent the interests of the HfMT with a sense of responsibility and perseverance."