LOVE
Dear Friends of the HfMT,
I was just flipping through the calendar and realized that it’s almost impossible to single out just a few events from the sheer abundance of them. October is absolutely packed. Right from the start of the semester, we’re bursting at the seams and can’t help but marvel at all the concerts, plays, projects, discussions, and explorations that are bursting onto the stage with such passion.
I spoke with a colleague the other day, and we both agreed that the mood is good—there’s a palpable sense of positivity. Amid the bustling preparations for the new start, there’s a joy in seeing each other again and a passion for what we do.
Today I read in Luisa Neubauer’s new newsletter (highly recommended) about “Hope Under Adverse Conditions.” It quotes the climate movement: “You can only protect what you love.” And perhaps, on a subconscious level, that’s exactly what we’re doing right now: stubbornly hopeful and intuitively, we’re playing the “love card” and paying grateful attention to the small and large things worth loving that surround us and over which we have influence—in times when hope is being put to the test.
Here we go again. Let’s take a loving look at the projects of our students and faculty, as well as our guests and the people working behind the scenes to keep things running smoothly for us here.
This time, we’ve kept it short and sweet so we can cover a lot.
Yours, HfMT
HERE'S TO A NEW ONE!
Yura Yang—the designated General Music Director of the Saarland State Theater—will conduct the HfMT Symphony Orchestra at the start of the semester on October 8
CONCERT TO MARK THE START OF THE SEMESTER
As is our tradition, we celebrate the start of the semester with the university orchestra’s first rehearsal. The program features works by Manfred Trojahn, Igor Stravinsky, and Brahms’s Fourth Symphony. After the concert, we’ll wrap up the evening together.
Start of the semester on October 8
A NEW ERA
Ulrich Windfuhr—longtime director of the university orchestra and the conducting program—retired at the end of the summer semester, and we are heading into a season featuring promising guest conductors for the symphony concerts:
Workshop Concert #1 on October 1
HfMT Symphony Orchestra on October 8 and 9
Workshop Concert #2 on October 28
"SONG-STRUCK" – LIVE PODCAST WITH MUSIC
As part of Liedstadt, we welcome Julian Prégardien (tenor and Liedstadt founder), Kian Jazdi (cultural manager and Liedstadt founder), Julia Kleiter (soprano, HfMT alumna), Antonia Brinkers (soprano, HfMT student), and Camille Lemonnier (piano) for a discussion about unconventional concert formats, the significance of classical art song in the modern world, and living with and for music.
Liedstadt Visits the HfMT on October 4
CONCERTS BY YOUNG ARTISTS
Leaving the HfMT behind and heading to the Hamburg-Volksdorf Museum Village for a change of pace: Matteo Weber—a student of Prof. Aleksandar Madžar and a multi-award-winning pianist—is already performing on many major stages. In October, he will perform Bach’s Goldberg Variations at the Spiekerhus as part of the “Concerts by YoungArtists ” series.
“Concerts by Young Artists” on October 9.
SOUND À LA CARTE
A musical dinner featuring free improvisation, avant-garde pop, jazz, Irish folk, and experimental electronic music awaits us at the ligeti zentrum as part of SuedKultur MusicNight 2026. The event runs from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
SuedKultur MusicNight 2026 on October 10
SONS OF BRAZIL
In the “Sons do Brasil” series, curated by our master’s student Lucas Etcheverria, Brazilian guest artists come together with musicians from the HfMT Hamburg community and the local jazz scene. This edition focuses on Guinga, one of Brazil’s most important composers and guitarists.
Sons do Brasil on October 14.
DRAMA!
DRAMA! is a teaching and learning format that brings together students of playwriting at the UdK Berlin, students of dramaturgy and directing at the HfMT, and acting students at the HfMT and the HMTM Hannover in an intensive research project. At the conclusion of the project, five teams come together to develop stage productions for the Kleine Bühne on the Wiesendamm campus.
DRAMA! on October 15 and 16
FLUCTOPLASMA
We’re overjoyed to be hosting the opening night of fluctoplasma —Festival for Art, Discourse, and Diversity!! Welcome Dan Thy Nguyen, Nina Reiprich, Max Czollek, MADANII, Booty Carrel, and Bushfya. It will be an evening full of profound thoughts and musical journeys that transcend genre boundaries and styles, where we’ll celebrate the beauty of all people—and, of course, treat you to sparkling wine and börek!
fluctoplasma opening night on October 22.
GALA OBSCURA
Sensing Science: Students and researchers from the Dr. sc. mus. doctoral program present excerpts, experimental setups, and interim results from their artistic research projects—spanning music, performance, theater, and cutting-edge sound art—in a multimedia revue.
Gala Obscura on October 24
HIP-HOP MEETS COLLEGE
In this wonderful collaborative project with the HipHop Academy Hamburg, two worlds come together. We experience raw, unpolished sounds—moments that straddle the line between sonata and storytelling, pianissimo and punchline.
Hip-hop meets college on October 26.
GRADUATE AUDITIONS
“We’re doing AVO and we’re excited”—we have nothing to add to that. Except perhaps that this is the farewell event for the third-year acting class before they head out into the professional world. We’ll miss you—enjoy this last show together!
Graduating Class Auditions on October 26 and 27
UNBELIEVABLE!
The “Gender Dialogues” lecture series for the 2026/27 winter semester will focus on the groundbreaking impact of pioneering female composers who wrote works on a grand scale and for large ensembles. They broke through the boundaries imposed on them and, in doing so, expanded those boundaries for future generations.
“Gender Dialogues” lecture series starting October 27.
SPIIC+ LECTURE CONCERT
Improvisation and Artistic Intelligence in the Age of AI: What value does the human factor still hold, and what insights from the experience of artistic co-creation can be applied to other areas of social and public life? Host, clarinetist, and composer Vlatko Kučan and his international guests will explore this question in a joint discussion and concert.
SPIIC+ on October 31
THE NEW TWELVE
Just in time for the start of the semester, the new issue of *zwoelf* has been published.
You can have it delivered to your door free of charge upon request, and it will soon be available in digital format on the website. It features many fascinating insights and reflections on the theme “From Institution to Interaction.”
University newspaper *zwoelf*
BECOME A SUPPORTER
Art is beautiful—and it costs money.
That’s why we’d be delighted if you became one of our supporters. The main goal of our supporters is to help students meet the various demands of their respective degree programs. As a supporter, you’ll also gain interesting insights and receive special offers. This month, we’re offering two free tickets to our season opener on October 8.
Information and Membership Application
WHAT ELSE IS ON
As usual, you can find it in our Event Calendar
FOLGEN SIE UNS!
