Chamber music

The Master's degree program in Chamber Music trains ensembles at a high artistic level. The artistic maturation process should be guided in such a way that an independent ensemble identity is formed. In addition to studying the classical-romantic repertoire through to modern music, students have the opportunity to take part in the International Mendelssohn Summer School. In addition, new conceptual ideas are developed in dialog with directors, journalists, publishers and concert agents so that the young chamber music groups can position themselves optimally in musical life.

This course is aimed at young musicians who have decided to pursue chamber music as their vocation and purpose in life. In order to be competitive in the international elite of chamber music formations, the repertoire in demand in concert life must be developed and mastered at the highest level. This requires an absolutely sure feeling and understanding of the basic style of a work as well as the decoding of secret relationships in the musical text. Stylistic fine-tuning and a perfect sense of form ultimately make the wholeness of the work accessible to the listener. The work cycles of Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven form the basis for the art of chamber music making. This foundation makes the romantic and modern repertoire all the more accessible.

The quality of an ensemble depends not least on the intuition and the discovery of new sound dimensions that each composer has specified in the score. Preparation for prestigious competitions is an integral part of the training to enable an international career.

A CD production under professional conditions is also part of the curriculum. The recording situation in the recording studio involves simulating a live concert performance in front of the microphone. The course offers a wealth of performance opportunities both inside and outside the Hamburg University of Music and Drama. Here the young ensembles can gain stage experience and try out interesting programs.

In the long term, artistic excellence is the most important prerequisite for a career as a chamber music ensemble, which has to earn a living on the free market without a permanent position. In a globalized musical life, basic knowledge of the laws of communication in the media, marketing techniques and the latest musicological research also play an important role. Today's highly specialized classical music industry has developed its own structures that serve its own markets in the form of agencies, festivals and labels.

In order to position themselves strategically, chamber music ensembles must learn how to communicate with the music managers of these institutions. This is practiced in block seminars in which directors of leading festivals, concert agents, journalists, publishers and label managers report on their day-to-day work.

In this way, students who have spent years or decades working mainly on perfecting their skills as instrumentalists get to know the "non-musical" parameters of the mindset of cultural managers. The aim is not to learn how to adapt to a commercial standard, but on the contrary to be equipped with the "know-how" to be able to pursue and achieve their own artistic goals.

That is why the focus of the lessons is on the questions:

"What is the intention of my artistic work?", "What target group do I want to reach?", "What is the specific artistic profile of my ensemble that makes it unique and distinctive?".