In Memory of Prof. Dr. Dieter Glawischnig

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Founder of the Jazz Program Dies at Age 88

The Hamburg University of Music and Drama (HfMT) mourns the loss of Prof. Dr. Dieter Glawischnig. The pianist, composer, and conductor passed away at the age of 88. Glawischnig founded the jazz program at the HfMT in 1985 and taught there for over two decades. At the same time, he left his mark on the NDR Big Band as its long-time principal conductor.

,Founder of the Jazz Program at the HfMT In 1982, Dieter Glawischnig was appointed to the HfMT to a professorship in jazz and jazz-related music. Prior to that, he had helped establish the jazz program at the conservatory in his hometown of Graz. Following this model, he founded the jazz program in Hamburg in 1985 together with the then-president, Prof. Hermann Rauhe. It was one of the first of its kind in Germany.
Glawischnig’s concept combined jazz and classical training in both directions: Jazz students also received classical instrumental instruction, while classical students were encouraged to learn improvisation. This approach continues to define the program’s profile to this day. Many of his students went on to become influential musicians in the German jazz scene. Glawischnig retired in 2003.

,Principal Conductor of the NDR Big Band. In addition to his teaching duties, Glawischnig led the NDR Big Band from 1980 to 2008. He transformed the former radio entertainment orchestra into an internationally renowned jazz ensemble and collaborated with artists such as Chet Baker, Albert Mangelsdorff, McCoy Tyner, Abdullah Ibrahim, and Nils Wogram. The close cooperation between the HfMT and the NDR Big Band that continues to this day is largely attributable to him.

Artistic Work
With his trio “Neighbors,” Glawischnig made his own mark on European free jazz beginning in the 1970s. For the NDR Big Band, he set texts by Ernst Jandl to music in the programs “Laut und Luise” and “Aus der Kürze des Lebens.” Among his most significant compositions is “Als die Synagogen brannten” (“When the Synagogues Burned”), a work commemorating Kristallnacht in 1938.

Prof. Wolf Kerschekt, Head of the Jazz Department at the HfMT Hamburg: “Dieter Glawischnig shaped generations of musicians, and the unmistakable ‘Hamburg sound’ was established through his many years of work.
For me personally, as an intellectual, uncompromising artist and a mentor with whom I shared a close friendship, he was one of the most important pioneers—a truly special person whom all of us who had the privilege of knowing him will always carry in our hearts.”

The HfMT Hamburg will honor Dieter Glawischnig’s memory. Our condolences go out to his family and all those who were close to him.