Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK, german: Zürcher Hochschule der Künste) has approximately 2,500 students, which makes it the largest arts university in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. The university was established in 2007, following the merger between Zurich's School of Art and Design (HGKZ) and the School of Music, Drama, and Dance (HMT). ZHdK is one of four universities affiliated to

Zürcher Fachhochschule The Zürich University of Applied Sciences (German: ''Zürcher Fachhochschule'', ZFH) is a governing body composed of four separate universities. It is located in the city of Winterthur, with facilities in Zürich and Wädenswil, is the second la ...

. ZHdK offers Bachelor's and master's degree courses and further education programmes in

art Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...

design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design'' ...

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

art education Visual arts education is the area of learning that is based upon the kind of art that one can see, visual arts—drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, and design in jewelry, pottery, weaving, fabrics, etc. and design applied to more practic ...

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

, transdisciplinary studies as well as PhD programmes in collaboration with different international Art Universities and with

ETH Zurich (colloquially) , former_name = eidgenössische polytechnische Schule , image = ETHZ.JPG , image_size = , established = , type = Public , budget = CHF 1.896 billion (2021) , rector = Günther Dissertori , president = Joël Mesot , ac ...

. ZHdK holds an active role in research, especially in artistic research and design research. Affiliated to ZHdK are the Museum of Design, Zurich, the Theater der Künste (Theatre of the Arts), the Mehrspur Music Club, and the Media and Information Centre (MIZ).

History

Established on 1 August 2007, Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) resulted from the merger between the Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst Zürich (HGKZ), which had arisen from the

Kunstgewerbeschule Zürich Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK, german: Zürcher Hochschule der Künste) has approximately 2,500 students, which makes it the largest arts university in Switzerland. The university was established in 2007, following the merger between Zurich ...

(founded in 1878), and the School of Drama, music, and Dance (HMT). The founding president of the new arts university was Professor Hans-Peter Schwarz. Since November 2009, Professor Thomas D. Meier has been president of ZHdK. The Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst Zürich (HGKZ) arose from the

Kunstgewerbeschule A Kunstgewerbeschule (English: ''School of Arts and Crafts'' or S''chool of Applied Arts'') was a type of vocational arts school that existed in German-speaking countries from the mid-19th century. The term Werkkunstschule was also used for thes ...

Zürich (founded in 1878). It was located in a building constructed by architects Adolf Steger and Karl Egender, which today also houses the Museum of Design, Zurich. The School of Music, Drama, and Dance (HMT) was the result of a merger in 1999 between Winterthur and Zurich conservatories of music, Zurich's Jazz School, Zurich's Theatre and Acting Academy, and the Swiss Professional Ballet School. ZHdK's programme in Theatre Studies (affiliated to the Department of Performing Arts and Film) was originally established in 1937, in the context of the

Schauspielhaus Zürich The Schauspielhaus Zürich ( en, Zürich playhouse) is one of the most prominent and important theatres in the German-speaking world. It is also known as "Pfauenbühne" (Peacock Stage). The large theatre has 750 seats. The also operates three st ...

(the city's principal theatre), and known as the Bühnenstudio Zürich. It was renamed Schauspiel-Akademie Zürich in the early 1970s. Following the 2007 school merger, ZHdK occupied 35 sites, spread across the cities of Zurich (Ausstellungsstrasse, Florhof, Mediacampus, Gessnerallee) and Winterthur. In the autumn of 2014, ZHdK relocated to its new campus: the Toni Areal, in the city's thriving western district ( Zurich West). With the exception of its Gessnerallee annex, ZHdK has left all other sites to unite the arts under one roof. The Museum of Design, Zurich and the Bellerive Museum will remain at their current locations.

Departments

ZHdK has five departments: The Department of Performing Arts and Film offers professional training in dance, theatre and film. Theatre training includes BA and MA courses in acting, directing, theatre education, dramaturgy, and stage design. The department also offers BA and MA courses in film. The BA Film provides general training or specialised training in production design. MA students can specialise in directing, documentary filmmaking, screenwriting, cinematography, film editing or creative producing. The dance programmes include professional training in classical dance at Zurich Dance Academy as well as a BA Contemporary Dance and an MA Dance. The latter enables students to specialise in choreography or in teaching and coaching dance professionals. Students specialise in one of seven professional fields: Cast/Audiovisual Media, Game Design, Industrial Design, Interaction Design, Knowledge Visualization, Trends & Identity, Visual Communication. The Department of Fine Arts offers degree courses in digitality, photography, installation/sculpture, painting, performance, sound, language, and video/movement. The Department of Cultural Analysis provides teaching and research in cultural theory, cultural analysis, and art education. Its BA and MA courses are aimed at future teachers, cultural journalists, and exhibition makers. The Department of Music offers programmes in the creation, teaching, and interpretation of classical music, jazz, pop, and church music. Two BA and four MA degree courses provide professional training for future orchestra and school musicians, orchestra and choir conductors, soloists and chamber musicians, composers and sound engineers, instrumental and voice teachers, jazz and pop musicians. Students take part in performances at the university's own concert halls and on a regular basis also at Zurich's Tonhalle and other public venues.

Notable alumni

ZHdK and its various precursor institutions (School of Applied Art/HGKZ; Music Conservatory; Theatre Academy) have brought forth a considerable number of acclaimed artists, designers, musicians, and actors:

Theatre and film

Aya Domenig Aya Domenig (born 1972) is a film-maker and anthropologist of Japanese– Swiss origin. Early life and education Born in Kameoka, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, Aya Domenig has joint Swiss and Japanese citizenship. Her mother is of Japanes ...

Bruno Ganz Bruno Ganz (; 22 March 1941 – 16 February 2019) was a Swiss actor whose career in German stage, television and film productions spanned nearly 60 years. He was known for his collaborations with the directors Werner Herzog, Éric Rohmer, Franc ...

Mathias Gnädinger Mathias Gnädinger (25 March 1941 – 3 April 2015) was a Swiss stage and film actor. Career Initially a typesetter and typographer, Gnädinger began his acting training at the ''Bühnenstudio Zürich'' (now part of the Zurich University of ...

Talkhon Hamzavi Talkhon Hamzavi ( fa, تلخون حمزوی, born 1979) is an Iranian-Swiss film director and screenwriter. For her work, '' Parvaneh'', she was nominated for an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film at the 87th Academy Awards along with Stefan Ei ...

Gardi Hutter Gardi Hutter (born 5 March 1953 in Altstätten) is a Swiss Clown-comedian, author, actress and Cabaret artist and a clown of the classical rule. Life and career Born on 5 March 1953 in Altstätten, Canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland, Gardi Hut ...

Xavier Koller Xavier Koller (born 1944, Schwyz, Switzerland) is a Swiss film director and screenwriter. He is most known for his work on the Disney live action film '' Squanto: A Warrior's Tale'', an adventure historical fiction film based on the life of Squa ...

Mathis Künzler Mathis Künzler (born June 13, 1978 in Basel) is a Swiss film, television and stage actor. He grew up in suburban Münchenstein, close to the borders of France and Germany. Filmography Films * 2005: ''Snow White'' * 2009: ''Räuberinnen'' ...

Sandra Moser Sandra Moser (born 27 September 1969) is a Swiss stage and film actress starring usually in Swiss German language cinema and television and stage productions. Biography Born in Thun in Switzerland, Sandra Moser lives in the municipality of Zür ...

Markus Imhoof Markus Imhoof (born 19 September 1941) is a Swiss film director, screenwriter, theatre and opera director. Biography He began his career as a documentary maker, focusing on controversial issues. His 1968 film ''Rondo'' was a critical look at ...

Marco Arturo Marelli Marco Arturo Marelli (born 21 August 1949) is a Swiss set designer and stage director who has worked at European opera houses for opera and ballet. He designed sets for ballets by John Neumeier, and for premieres of the operas ''Thomas Chatterton' ...

Andrea Staka Andrea is a given name which is common worldwide for both males and females, cognate to Andreas, Andrej and Andrew. Origin of the name The name derives from the Greek word ἀνήρ (''anēr''), genitive ἀνδρός (''andrós''), that ref ...

Peter Brogle Peter Brogle (22 June 1933 – 27 March 2006) was a Swiss film actor. He appeared in 14 films between 1955 and 1987. He starred in the 1968 film '' Signs of Life'' by Werner Herzog, which won the Silver Bear Extraordinary Prize of the Jury ...

Photography

Oliviero Toscani Oliviero Toscani (born 28 February 1942) is an Italian photographer, best-known worldwide for designing controversial advertising campaigns for Italian brand Benetton, from 1982 to 2000. Toscani was born in Milan, and took up photography foll ...

Werner Bischof Werner Bischof (26 April 1916 – 16 May 1954) was a Swiss photographer and photojournalist. He became a full member of Magnum Photos in 1949, the first new photographer to join its original founders. Bischof's book ''Japan'' (1954) was awarded t ...

René Burri René Burri (9 April 1933 – 20 October 2014) was a Swiss photographer. Burri was a member of Magnum Photos and photographed major political, historical and cultural events and key figures of the second half of the 20th century. He made portrai ...

Fine arts

Augusto Giacometti Augusto Giacometti (16 August 1877 – 9 June 1947) was a Swiss painter from Stampa, Graubünden, cousin of Giovanni Giacometti who was the father of Alberto, Diego and Bruno Giacometti. He was a prominent as a painter in the Art Nouveau an ...

Thomas Hirschhorn Thomas Hirschhorn (born 16 May 1957) is a Swiss artist. He lives and works in Paris.Randy Kennedy (June 27, 2013)Bringing Art and Change to Bronx''New York Times''. Life and works In the 1980s, Thomas Hirschhorn came to Paris with the will to ...

Yves Netzhammer Yves Netzhammer (born 1970) is a Swiss artist who lives and works in Zurich. Born in Schaffhausen, he studied architecture there and later obtained a diploma at the Hochschule für Gestaltung und Kunst Zürich, department of visual design. He has ...

* David Weiss *

HR Giger Hans Ruedi Giger ( ; ; 5 February 1940 – 12 May 2014) was a Swiss artist best known for his airbrushed images that blended human physiques with machines, an art style known as " biomechanical". Giger later abandoned airbrush for pastels, mark ...

Design and typography

Max Bill Max Bill (22 December 1908 – 9 December 1994) was a Swiss architect, artist, painter, typeface designer, industrial designer and graphic designer. Early life and education Bill was born in Winterthur. After an apprenticeship as a silversmith ...

Adrian Frutiger Adrian Johann Frutiger ( ; 24 May 1928 – 10 September 2015) was a Swiss typeface designer who influenced the direction of type design in the second half of the 20th century. His career spanned the hot metal, phototypesetting and digital t ...

Richard Paul Lohse Richard Paul Lohse (September 13, 1902 – September 16, 1988) was a Swiss painter and graphic artist and one of the main representatives of the concrete and constructive art movements. Lohse was born in Zürich in 1902. His wish to study in Par ...

* Hans Falk *

Max Miedinger Max Miedinger (24 December 1910 – 8 March 1980) was a Swiss typeface designer, best known for creating the ''Neue Haas Grotesk'' typeface in 1957, renamed Helvetica in 1960. Marketed as a symbol of cutting-edge Swiss technology, Helvetica achie ...

Emil Ruder Emil Ruder (20 March 1914 – 13 March 1970) was a Swiss typographer and graphic designer, who with Armin Hofmann joined the faculty of the Schule für Gestaltung Basel (Basel School of Design). He is distinguishable in the field of typography ...

Music

Yulianna Avdeeva Yulianna Andreevna Avdeeva (russian: Юлиа́нна Андре́евна Авде́ева; born 3 July 1985) is a Russian concert classical pianist who has performed and recorded internationally. Life and career Avdeeva was born in Moscow. Sh ...

Nik Bärtsch Nik Bärtsch (born 3 August 1971) is a Swiss pianist, composer, bandleader, record producerNastos, Michael GAllmusic: Nik Bärtsch Biography accessed May 25, 2018 and author from Zürich. Career Bärtsch studied piano and Percussion instrumen ...

* Hermann Haller *

Peter Lagger Peter Lagger (7 September 192617 September 1979) was a Swiss bass in opera and concert. He was a member of European opera houses, finally the Deutsche Oper Berlin, and appeared as a guest internationally. He took part in world premieres such as L ...

Anne-Sophie Mutter Anne-Sophie Mutter (born 29 June 1963) is a German violinist. She was supported early in her career by Herbert von Karajan. As an advocate of contemporary music, she has had several works composed especially for her, by Sebastian Currier, Henri ...

Andreas Reize Andreas Reize (born 19 May 1975) is a Swiss organist and conductor, with a focus on opera and choral conducting. He was appointed Thomaskantor on 11 September 2021, becoming the 18th director of music to take charge of the world famous Thomanerch ...

Othmar Schoeck Othmar Schoeck (1 September 1886 – 8 March 1957) was a Swiss Romantic classical composer, opera composer, musician, and conductor. He was known mainly for his considerable output of art songs and song cycles, though he also wrote a number of ...

Luzia von Wyl Luzia von Wyl (born 1985) is a Swiss jazz pianist, composer, and music educator. She first studied classical piano before switching to jazz piano and music composition, earning degrees from University of the Arts Bern, Zurich University of the Ar ...

* Soyoung Yoon

Notable faculty

Many former graduates have returned to teach at ZHdK. Teaching faculty has included and includes a number of well-known people: *

Sophie Taeuber-Arp Sophie Henriette Gertrud Taeuber-Arp (; 19 January 1889 – 13 January 1943) was a Swiss artist, painter, sculptor, textile designer, furniture and interior designer, architect, and dancer. Born in 1889 in Davos, and raised in Trogen, Switzerlan ...

, head of the textile class, 1916–1929 *

Johannes Itten Johannes Itten (11 November 1888 – 25 March 1967) was a Swiss expressionist painter, designer, teacher, writer and theorist associated with the Bauhaus (''Staatliches Bauhaus'') school. Together with German-American painter Lyonel Feininger ...

, director, 1938–1943 *

Volkmar Andreae Volkmar Andreae (5 July 1879 – 18 June 1962) was a Swiss conductor and composer. Life and career Andreae was born in Bern. He received piano instruction as a child and his first lessons in composition with Karl Munzinger. From 1897 to 1900, ...

, head of the Tonhalle Orchestra (1906–1949) and the Conservatory of Music (1914–1939) * Karl Schmid, professor of scientific drawing (1944–71) *

Serge Stauffer Serge Stauffer (born Werner Oscar Stauffer, 8 June 1929 – 17 September 1989) was a Swiss artist and art educator. He was one of the co-founders of the F+F Schule für experimentelle Gestaltung in Zurich and known for his German translations of th ...

co-directed the F+F class for experimental art from 1965 to 1970 *

Florian Dombois Florian Dombois (born 1966 in Berlin) is an artist who focuses on time, landforms, labilities, seismic and tectonic activity, as well as on their various representational and media formats. Dombois studied geophysics and philosophy in Berlin, Kiel ...

has been head of the research focus in transdisciplinary studies since autumn 2011 *

Irwin Gage Irwin Gage (September 4, 1939 – April 12, 2018) was an American pianist, specializing in accompanying Lieder. Biography Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Gage studied piano, musicology and literature at the University of Michigan and Yale, and later wi ...

ran a class for Lied interpretation *

Ria Ginster Ria Ginster (15 April 1898 – 11 May 1985) was a German soprano who appeared mainly in recital and concert, including international tours. She was an academic voice teacher at the Zürich Conservatory, and gave master classes internationally, i ...

, soprano, from 1938 until she had to emigrate *

Isabel Mundry Isabel Mundry (born 20 April 1963) is a German composer. Life and work Isabel Mundry was born in Schlüchtern (Germany) in 1963 and studied composition at the Hochschule der Künste and electronic music, musicology and history at the Berlin Tech ...

, Professor of Composition *

Zakhar Bron Zakhar Bron (russian: Заха́р Ну́химович Брон ; born 17 December 1947, in Oral, Kazakhstan) is a Russian violinist and violin pedagogue of Jewish, Polish and Romanian descent. His students have included Vadim Repin, Gwendolyn ...

has been teaching violin and chamber music *

Rudolf Koelman Rudolf Koelman (born 1959 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch violinist and is professor for violin at the ''Zürcher Hochschule der Künste'' (ZHdK) in Switzerland. Biography Koelman studied the violin with Jan Bor and Herman Krebbers in Amsterdam. From ...

, violin and chamber music Professor since 1987(HMT-ZHdK) former concertmaster of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (1996-1999) *

Raphael Wallfisch Raphael Wallfisch (born 15 June 1953 in London) is a British cellist and professor of cello. As a soloist he performs regularly with leading orchestras around the world, as well as together with duo partner John York (piano), or as member of the ...

has been teaching cello and chamber music *

Konstantin Scherbakov Konstantin Scherbakov (11 June 1963 in Barnaul, Siberia, Russian SFSR) is a Russian pianist. He was the winner of the first Rachmaninoff international piano competition in 1983. In 1990, he played solo in four recitals at the Chamber Music Festiv ...

is Professor of Piano *

Giaco Schiesser Giaco Schiesser (born 1953) is a Zurich-based theorist of cultural and media studies. He is a professor emeritus for cultural theory and media theory and for artistic research of Zurich University of the Arts, ZHdK (Switzerland). Biography Giaco ...

, Professor for media and culture theories, founded the New Media / Media Arts programme (1997) and was Head of the Departement of Art & Media (2002-2017) * :de:Gerhard M. Buurman, Professor for Interaction design (2000-2016), founded the interaction design programme (2001), the game design programme (2004) and was Head of design research of the Departement of Design.

References

{{Authority control 1878 establishments in Switzerland Universities of Applied Sciences in Switzerland Education in Zürich Educational institutions established in 1878 Art schools in Switzerland Film schools in Switzerland Swiss design Design schools Design schools in Switzerland Graphic design schools Design schools in Germany Communication design