Mourning for Professor Gudrun Schäfer

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The Hamburg University of Music and Drama mourns the loss of Prof. Gudrun Schäfer, who passed away on April 22, 2026 in Hamburg. Gudrun Schäfer was Vice President of the HfMT from 1998 to 2000 - the first woman to hold this position. She wrote an important chapter in the history of the university. With her passing, the university has lost a formative personality, a committed professor, a controversial - in a positive sense, uncomfortable - university politician and a pioneer in the advancement of women at our institution.

Gudrun Schäfer was Professor of Rhythmics at the HfMT and enjoyed a high reputation in her field throughout Europe. She initiated the first German rhythm competition in Hamburg. In her artistic and educational work, she focused in particular on the interplay between music, movement, perception and social interaction. Her understanding of rhythm went beyond pure movement or physical training. She regarded the subject as an interactive educational concept in which musical, physical, spatial and social processes are interlinked. Her teaching was characterized by precision, openness and a deep trust in educational processes.

In the history of the university, Gudrun Schäfer will be remembered above all as one of the early and decisive voices for equality and the advancement of women. At a time when these issues were by no means a matter of course at artistic universities, she asked questions that could be uncomfortable and were therefore necessary: Who comes forward in music history? Who receives visibility, support and responsibility? Which structures enable participation - and which prevent it?

Since the late 1980s, Gudrun Schäfer has been involved in the emerging gender equality work. She accompanied its institutional anchoring in the HfMT and had a decisive and lasting influence on its effectiveness. She was Women's Representative, founded the informal Women's Committee at the former HfM around 1990 and was involved in the inter-university Joint Conference for Women's Studies and Women's Research in Hamburg from 1989 to 2005, which still exists today. For many years she took on responsibility in the faculty council, equal opportunities work and university management. From 1998 to 2000, she was Vice President of the university - the first woman to hold this position. In doing so, she wrote an important chapter in university history.

She was one of those people who not only held positions, but also opened up spaces: Spaces for discussion, for dissent, for research, for artistic contributions by women, for a university that became aware of its blind spots.

For all her strictness in the matter, it should not be forgotten that Gudrun Schäfer was a very humorous person in her personal dealings, who could laugh heartily and was always up for a laugh (her application to sing on the pop course was legendary).

The Hamburg University of Music and Drama is deeply indebted to Gudrun Schäfer. Her work will remain part of our house.