The Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg is one of the larger universities of music in Germany. It was founded in 1950 as ''Staatliche Hochschule für Musik'' (Public college of music) on the base of the former private acting school of Annemarie Marks-Rocke and Eduard Marks. Courses cover various musical genres, including church music, jazz, pop, composition, conducting, instrumental music as well as voice. The theatre academy offers courses in drama and opera and directing in these fields. A third academy offers scientific and educational degrees and qualifications (musicology, music education and therapy). The university is located in the prestigious Budge-Palais in Hamburg Rotherbaum at the Außenalster, close to the city centre.

Directors

* Philipp Jarnach (1950–59) * Wilhelm Maler (1959–69) * Hajo Hinrichs (1969–78) * Hermann Rauhe (1978–2004) * Michael von Troschke (April to October 2004) * Elmar Lampson (since October 2004)

Faculty

* Beatrix Borchard, musicology (from 2002) * Margot Guilleaume, voice (1950–78) *

György Ligeti György Sándor Ligeti (; ; 28 May 1923 – 12 June 2006) was a Hungarian-Austrian composer of contemporary classical music. He has been described as "one of the most important avant-garde music, avant-garde composers in the latter half of the ...

, composition (1973–1988) * Henny Wolff, voice (1950–1964) *

Heinz Wunderlich Heinz Wunderlich (25 April 1919 – 10 March 2012) was a German organist, academic, and composer. He was known for playing the organ works of Max Reger. He studied in Leipzig with Karl Straube, a friend of Reger. Wunderlich worked as both a churc ...

, organ (1919–2012)

History

The Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg (HfMT) was founded in 1950 as the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik. It was established on the basis of a private acting school previously operated by Annemarie Marks-Rocke and Eduard Marks. In 1956, the institution moved into the Budge-Palais, a 19th-century building located in Hamburg's Rotherbaum district. The university expanded its academic scope in the following decades. In 1967, it was renamed Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst to reflect the inclusion of theater and performing arts programs. Additional facilities were constructed in the 1970s and 1980s, including buildings for music education and performance. In 1991, the institution adopted its current name, Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg. Further developments included the opening of a new library in 2003 and the establishment of the Theaterakademie campus in the Hamburg-Barmbek district in 2021.

Study

The Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg (HfMT) offers academic programs in music, theatre, music education, music therapy, musicology, and cultural management. These programs are available at undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate levels and are organized across several departments.

Music

Degree programs in the field of music include instrumental and vocal performance, conducting, composition, music theory, church music, jazz, and multimedia composition. HfMT also participates in international collaborations, such as the Contemporary Performance and Composition (CoPeCo) master's program, conducted jointly with institutions in other European countries.

Theatre

The university’s Theatre Academy offers programs in acting, opera, stage direction, music theatre direction, and dramaturgy. The curriculum includes theoretical coursework and practical components in rehearsal and performance settings.

Education, Therapy, and Musicology

HfMT offers programs in music education (for various school levels), music therapy, and musicology. These programs are intended for students pursuing academic, pedagogical, or therapeutic professions.

Cultural and Media Management

The Institute for Culture and Media Management (KMM) at HfMT provides degree programs in cultural and media management. These are offered in both in-person and distance-learning formats.

Facilities

The university’s facilities include teaching spaces, rehearsal rooms, studios, and performance venues. Among these is the Forum, a concert hall with a seating capacity of approximately 450, used for public performances and internal events.

Former students

* Erdoğan Atalay * Ingrid Bachér * Lisa Batiashvili * Hermann Baumann * Dagmar Berghoff *

Oliver Bendt Oliver Bendt (born Jörg Knoch on 29 October 1946 in Potsdam) is a German singer and actor. Knoch grew up the son of an actress in Munich, where he played children's roles in several films, including ''Königswalzer (1955 film), Königswalzer ...

* *

Margit Carstensen Margit Carstensen (29 February 1940 – 1 June 2023) was a German theatre and film actress, best known outside Germany for roles in the works of film director Rainer Werner Fassbinder. She appeared in films of directors Christoph Schlingensief ...

Unsuk Chin Unsuk Chin ( ; born July 14, 1961) is a South Korean composer of contemporary classical music, who is based in Berlin, Germany. Chin was a self-taught pianist from a young age and studied composition at Seoul National University as well as with ...

Xiaoyong Chen Xiaoyong Chen (, born 13 May 1955) is a Chinese composer living in Germany. Biography Xiaoyong Chen first studied composition at the Beijing Central Conservatory of Music from 1980 until 1985. In 1985 he moved to Germany where he attended the M ...

Marko Ciciliani Marko Ciciliani (born February 23, 1970) is a composer, audiovisual artist and performer. Life Marko Ciciliani (born 1970 in Zagreb, Croatia) is a composer and sound artist. His family emigrated to Germany in 1971, where he grew up primarily in ...

Angela Denoke Angela Denoke (born 27 November 1961) is a German opera singer (soprano). Born in Stade, she studied at the University of Music and Drama of Hamburg. Her first contract was at the Theater Ulm (1992–1996), where she sang Fiordiligi (''Così ...

Justus von Dohnányi Justus von Dohnányi (born 2 December 1960) is a German actor, best known for portraying Wilhelm Burgdorf in 2004 film '' Downfall''. Life and career Born in Lübeck, von Dohnányi is the son of conductor Christoph von Dohnányi and actress Re ...

Christoph Eschenbach Christoph Eschenbach (; born 20 February 1940) is a German pianist and conductor. Early life Eschenbach was born on 20 February 1940 in Breslau, Germany (now Wrocław, Poland) as Christoph Ringmann. His parents were Margarethe (née Jaross), a ...

* Justus Frantz * Evelyn Hamann * Hannelore Hoger * Olga Jegunova * Peter Jordan * Toshiyuki Kamioka * Wiebke Lehmkuhl * Susanne Lothar * Marie-Luise Marjan * Günther Morbach * Talia Or * Corinna von Rad * Ivan Rebroff * Dorothea Röschmann * Catherine Rückwardt * Tanja Tetzlaff * Iris Vermillion

References

External links

Hochschule fur Musik und Theater Hamburg
Educational institutions established in 1950 Music schools in Germany Universities and colleges in Hamburg Buildings and structures in Eimsbüttel Theatres in Hamburg 1950 establishments in West Germany {{Hamburg-struct-stub