International Days of Music Hesse Main-Taunus Hofheim
Encyclopedia
The International Days of Music Hesse Main-Taunus Hofheim are an annual cultural event of several days‘ duration in Hofheim am Taunus, Hesse
, Germany
. It takes place in May or June and is attended by artists from all over the world. The event is patronized by the state of Hesse, the county Main-Taunus
and the city of Hofheim am Taunus.
as well as the city of Hofheim am Taunus near Frankfurt am Main. The event is based on traditional classical play of violin and piano.
Until the opening of the Iron Curtain
the promoters took a lot of effort to initiate and deepen contacts to studying musicians in Eastern Europe. These early years of the event led to a citizen‘s initiative to provide free board and lodging for participators which is still active.
As a result the training course participants were not only able to form a positive and motivating relation with each other but to supporting citizens as well. In addition the level of the artistic niveau increased significantly. The International Days of Music Hesse Main-Taunus Hofheim developed a special flair all related people feel much obliged to.
The initiators also assigned the task to bring people from many regions of the world together, on an artistic and a social level.
In the context of the event a public symposium is held to annually alternating issues of performance practice, musical education, and musicology.
Head of the violin course is Alois Kottmann, university professor h. c. at Artistic Faculty of Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts
, university lecturer at Hoch Conservatory
and at University of Mainz.
Head of the piano course is university professor Günter Ludwig, one of the most moulded pianists of his generation. Inter alia he was professor for piano at Cologne University of Music
and visiting professor at Indiana University Bloomington
.
A chamber orchestra is at disposal for the course participants to practice orchestral interplay. The violin and piano concertos of Johann Sebastian Bach
and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
are prioritized. The chamber orchestra Kottmann-Streicher under the direction of Boris Kottmann will perform the closing concert of the International Days of Music Hesse Main-Taunus Hofheim with the course participants.
.
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It takes place in May or June and is attended by artists from all over the world. The event is patronized by the state of Hesse, the county Main-Taunus
Main-Taunus-Kreis
Main-Taunus is a Kreis in the middle of Hesse, Germany and is part of the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region as well as the Frankfurt urban area...
and the city of Hofheim am Taunus.
History
The musical event was founded in 1983 by the German violinist and music pedagogue Alois KottmannAlois Kottmann
Alois Kottmann is a German violinist, music pedagogue, university professor and patron.- Background :Alois Kottmann was raised as one of three children of a silversmith. His mother was very much interested in music so she made every possible effort for a musical education of her children...
as well as the city of Hofheim am Taunus near Frankfurt am Main. The event is based on traditional classical play of violin and piano.
Until the opening of the Iron Curtain
Iron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
the promoters took a lot of effort to initiate and deepen contacts to studying musicians in Eastern Europe. These early years of the event led to a citizen‘s initiative to provide free board and lodging for participators which is still active.
As a result the training course participants were not only able to form a positive and motivating relation with each other but to supporting citizens as well. In addition the level of the artistic niveau increased significantly. The International Days of Music Hesse Main-Taunus Hofheim developed a special flair all related people feel much obliged to.
Goal
The event is targeting to teach the classical play of violin and piano. Two concerts are meant to present this play to the public, an opening concert performed by the teachers and a closing concert performed by the course participants.The initiators also assigned the task to bring people from many regions of the world together, on an artistic and a social level.
In the context of the event a public symposium is held to annually alternating issues of performance practice, musical education, and musicology.
Training Courses
The daily training courses for violin and piano are open for public. Interested people can watch the performances. There is no age restriction for participants of the courses. At least, they should play on the level of an advanced student. They can also be instrumental teachers or professional musicians.Head of the violin course is Alois Kottmann, university professor h. c. at Artistic Faculty of Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts
Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts
The Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts is a state Hochschule for Music, Theater and Dance in Frankfurt and is the only one of its kind in the Federal State of Hesse. It was founded in 1938....
, university lecturer at Hoch Conservatory
Hoch Conservatory
Dr. Hoch’s Konservatorium - Musikakademie was founded in Frankfurt am Main on September 22, 1878. Through the generosity of Frankfurter Joseph Hoch, who bequeathed the Conservatory one million German gold marks in his testament, a school for music and the arts was established for all age groups. ...
and at University of Mainz.
Head of the piano course is university professor Günter Ludwig, one of the most moulded pianists of his generation. Inter alia he was professor for piano at Cologne University of Music
Hochschule für Musik Köln
The Cologne University of Music is a music college in Cologne, and Germany's largest academy of music.-History:The academy was founded by Ferdinand Hiller in 1850 as Conservatorium der Musik in Coeln...
and visiting professor at Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
.
A chamber orchestra is at disposal for the course participants to practice orchestral interplay. The violin and piano concertos of Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
are prioritized. The chamber orchestra Kottmann-Streicher under the direction of Boris Kottmann will perform the closing concert of the International Days of Music Hesse Main-Taunus Hofheim with the course participants.
Fundraising
The development association International Days of Music Hesse Main-Taunus Hofheim bears a major part of the event with personal dedication and financial support. It is based on a fund of late Ottilie Kunz und her late husband university professor Josef Kunz.Sponsoring
Several sponsors like the Hessian State Ministry of Sciences and Art, a regional bank, the city of Hofheim am Taunus, and companies are supporting the cultural event.Alois Kottmann Award
During the event the Alois Kottmann Award will be handed over to the best international violinists who are performing in a competition which takes place separately. The award is meant for classical play of the violin in an individual canto-style. The ceremony to grant the award will be performed by the Lord Mayor of Frankfurt am Main, Dr. h. c. Petra RothPetra Roth
Petra Roth is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union . Since 1995 she is mayor of Frankfurt. In addition and in a rerun she is president of Deutscher Städtetag since 2009 which is the head organisation and lobby group of all German cities obverse the Cabinet of Germany, the German...
.
External links
- International Days of Music Hesse Main-Taunus Hofheim (German)
- Alois Kottmann Award (German)
- Alois Kottmann (German)