Master's Degree Programme

Since 2006 the International Ensemble Modern Academy (IEMA) in conjunction with Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts (HfMDK) has offered a joint Masters course in Contemporary Music.

Thanks to funding from the German Federal Cultural Foundation, the Kunststiftung NRW and the Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain, young artists (instrumentalists, conductors, composers, and sound directors) are able to work for an entire year with the members of the Ensemble Modern on the diverse repertoire of modern music.

The goal of the course is to teach contemporary performing techniques, the treatment of notation and interpretation of contemporary music, as well as to develop an understanding for aesthetic concepts immanent to the works and to gain a comprehensive knowledge of the repertoire of music of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Cooperation with institutes such as the Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe and the Institute for Applied Theatre Studies Giessen provides the opportunity for interdisciplinary projects. Famous composers and conductors are also regularly invited to participate, including Friedrich Cerha, Peter Eötvös, Heiner Goebbels, Heinz Holliger, Helmut Lachenmann, Wolfgang Rihm and Hans Zender. The results of this work are presented in 20 concerts each year in Germany and abroad.