Into the new academic year

I successfully participated in the annual audition held by the PE-Förderkreis für Studierende der Musik e.V. organization in Mannheim early in my second academic year in Nuremberg. The audition is common for all instrumentalists up to age 26, and it has several parts, the last and most relevant being a solo performance for a jury of experts in Mannheim.

The organization’s goal is to enable students to purchase their own instrument and to help them at the beginning of their career. For example, this can mean co-financing the production of a CD recording and financial support for participation in master classes. The PE-Förderkreis also offers contacts to the winners of the previous years of the audition, who include young talented musicians, some of whom have become famous since.

My participation in the audition was a wonderful experience and, aside from professional goals, the visit to Mannheim enabled me to fulfill some of my personal goals as well. I love travelling and getting to know new regions. Getting to know another city was a great experience, definitely also thanks to having a good guide – a friend who is a student there.

Fig.: Benefit concert in Crailsheim

Aside from Mannheim, I also visited some other Bavarian and German cities on various concert occasions. So I got to Gladbeck in late September, when three other pianists and I played a concert to mark Liszt’s birthday as part of a series of events held by the municipality. In early October, I played Crailsheim, one of Bavaria’s smaller towns. The local Kiwanis Club, an organization along the lines of Rotary or Lions Club, holds an annual benefit concert there, and also actively helps young talents at the beginning of their career. I also visited Muenster with our oboe duo this fall.

The third semester started at school, and I will enjoy a bounty of musical subjects that I have chosen. Many focus on music theory (Counterpoint, Ear Training, Music History, Music Science for Musicians), while others include the basics of conducting and, for example, Performance Training, where we practice correct conduct on stage. The Showmanship Seminar teaches us to compose an attractive concert program and choose the right type of concert or project to make it interesting.

In my leisure time, I pursue sports (I like bike riding and swimming), cooking with friends, and going see various concerts, such as Rafal Blechacz’s recital in Berlin most recently.

Recently, I have also been forced to use my leisure time for treatment of and recovery from frequent tonsillitis, due to which I eventually will have to undergo a tonsil surgery. I have not yet had it, but the treatment has cost me quite some time and effort.

Even so, the start of the new academic year was a pleasant entry to another term in Nuremberg. I am looking forward to the continuation of my Nuremberg studies and everything that they entail.