Feminale 2025
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FEMINALE Festival from April 23 - 26, 2025
The Feminale is entering its third round!
We - this year: Antonia Brinkers, Linda Wesche, Laura Schmalfuß and Johanna Backhaus - are giving female composers a stage with our festival.
We want students to have female composers in their repertoire and bring them onto the repertoire and into music lessons.
We want us as a university to promote a diverse canon.
We want works by female composers to be part of the canon in the future.
In our concert formats, classical music meets jazz, teachers meet students and music meets theory and moderation. Come and join us!
This year's participants include composers and professors from the HfMT, the university orchestra, the chamber choir, the HfMT BigBand, the Alsterspatzen from the Hamburg State Opera and the Hamburg Boys' Choir, as well as many other ensembles and students from the university.
Schedule overview
All events of the festival at a glance
Wednesday, 23.04
19:30, Feminale Opening Night
The Feminale will be ceremoniously opened with music for trumpet ensemble by Anna Amalie von Preußen and piano music by Lili Boulanger. Afterwards, the HfMT Big Band will play a set by and with the composer, singer and storyteller Monta Tupčijenko.
Duration 90 min.
Thursday, 24.04
15:00, Standing Ovation I
Guided tour of the exhibition Standing Ovation - Women Composers Seen! Insights into the life, work and music of Emilie Mayer, Dora Pejačević, Louise Farrenc, Ethel Smyth and Lili Boulanger.
Duration 50 min.
The US-American Connie Converse was one of the first female singer-songwriters and is considered a precursor of Bob Dylan with her personal lyrics. At the Feminale you can experience her Cassandra's Cycle in a staged version and get to know this extraordinary composer.
Duration 50 min.
HfMT teachers perform works by Claude Arrieu, Mel Bonis, Rebecca Saunders, Vitezslava Kaprálová, Francesca Caccini.
Participants
Geert Smits, Menno van Delft, Tanja Becker-Bender, Alexei Petrov, Asya Fateyeva, Jürgen Franz, Nobue Ito, Liudmila Minnibaeva, Bernhard Fograscher and Franciska Eisenschmidt.
Duration 80 min.
Friday, 25.04
15:00, Female Voices - Ensemble Edition
Female students sing in duo, trio, quartet and women's choir.
With works by Amy Beach, Abbie Betinis, Misty L. Dupuis, Fanny Hensel, Kristia Michael, Andrea Ramsey, Kaija Saariaho, Kate Soper, Monta Tupcijenko and Rosy Wertheim.
Duration 60 min.
16:30, Key Figures: Resonances, Keys, Words
Concert in two parts with music from the 17th to the 21st century for harpsichord, piano, voice and more
Part I Music for keyboard instruments from the Baroque period to the present day
Moderated and played by Daria Marshinina and Elena Khurgina
Part II In conversation with female musicians and composers
Written and improvised contemporary and traditional music from around the world for voice, harpsichord and tambura
Participants
Mari Chincharauli, Tamo Nasidze, Hania Miriam Luthufi, Elena Khurgina
Duration 75 min.
7:30 pm, 75 years of female composers at the HfMT
Female composers at our university? Yes, they exist and always have! Compositions by Ilse Fromm-Michaels meet works by female students, lecturers and two world premieres.
With works by Ilse Fromm-Michaels, Yixuan Hu, Nina Deuse, Chin-Hsien Chung, Eunhye Joo and Ruta Paidere.
Duration 70 min.
Saturday, 26.04
11:00 am, Matinee: Organ and choir music in St. Johannis-Harvestehude
10:15 am in the foyer of the HfMT
Concert introduction over morning coffee, followed by a walk together to St. Johannis Harvestehude church (approx. 6 min.).
11:00 am
Concert with voice and organ students and the HfMT chamber choir.
With works by Nadia Boulanger, Cécile Chaminade, Maija Einfelde, Felicitas Kukuck, Ester Mägi, Caroline Shaw, Nancy Telfer.
Duration 60 min.
Female composers from 800 years - a concert for the whole family.
With works by Sofia Gubaidulina, Hildegard von Bingen, Eleanor Farjeon, Dora Pejačević, Maëlle Pistoia and Makiko Asaoka (subject to change).
Duration 45 min.
Guided tour of the exhibition Standing Ovation - Women composers seen! Insights into the life, work and music of Fanny Hensel, Augusta Holmès, Hope Lee, Marianne Martines and Florence Price.
Duration 50 min.
19:00, Great works need great halls!
Grand closing concert of Feminale 2025 with the University Orchestra, the Hamburg Boys' Choir and the Alsterspatzen - the children's and youth choirs of the Hamburg State Opera.
With works by Elizabeth Alexander, Hildegard von Bingen, Brittney Elizabeth Boykin, Ana Yara Campos, Mara Campos, Sofia Gubaidulina, Fanny Hensel, Felicitas Kuckuck and Marlui Miranda.
Duration 90 min.
Celebratewith us four festival days full of female composers and the third round of Feminale! DJ queen GGG will spin for us and provide the right soundtrack.
A look back: Feminale 2024
The second edition of Feminale took place in 2024.
Curious to see what great works we had in the program?
A look back: Feminale 2023
The first edition of Feminale took place in 2023.
Curious to see what great works we had in the program?