Performing contemporary music

Studying Contemporary Music

Major – MA Specialized Music Performance, Contemporary Music
An excellent course for international careers, numerous opportunities to specialize in flexible curricula, personalized study advice and an international community: this is what Specialized Music Performance Master's students can look forward to at ZHdK.

Minor – Contemporary Music Practices
The “Contemporary Music Practices” minor is dedicated to music from classical modernism to the 21st century in its various facets, styles and performance forms. It addresses fundamental elements of contemporary music: the mastery of extended playing techniques, the execution of intricate rhythms, the use of electroacoustics, the interaction with media, language or the performance space.

Performing contemporary music

Performers specializing in contemporary music or wishing to make their mark in that field will find a diversified and stimulating atmosphere at various levels of theory and production. The following ensembles and workshops are particularly worth mentioning:

  • Ensemble Arc-en-Ciel: Each year, in a series of three projects, contemporary works are presented in various formats (up to about 25 instrumentalists) with specialized conductors. These may be thematically selected or focus on well-known current composers; in some cases, they are held as part of “project weeks”.

  • Workshops for contemporary music: These workshops are opportunities to practise works in small groups, generally with no conductor. The students are coached by core subject or theory teachers, and usually develop the works with well-known guests from the areas of composition or interpretation, who are invited specially for the project.

  • Elective subject New Music: The main lecturers in the Department of Music are often themselves specialists in the field of contemporary music. In the New Music elective, the opportunity exists to develop instrumental skills in greater depth with specialized performers. Current lecturers in the New Music elective include Andreas Böhlen, Lars Mlekusch, Matthias Müller, Philippe Racine, Martina Schucan, Matthias Ziegler. In addition to the lecturing staff specializing in New Music, other specialists can be accessed by special arrangement.

  • Institute for Computer Music and Sound Technology (ICST): The ICST specializes in electroacoustic music, three-dimensional sound projection and live electronics. Courses and projects are offered in which the student can learn how to work with these new techniques or study them in greater depth.

  • ZHdK Orchestra: The symphonic repertoire is developed in a number of orchestral projects during each university year – partly through the inclusion of a significant number of new orchestral works.

In addition, further learning options, competitions and special event weeks serve to refine and develop the appreciation of the aesthetics and practice of music-making today.