International
Ensemble
Modern
Academy

Id
ea

By founding IEMA in 2003, the members of Ensemble Modern bundled their existing education activities. Offering education and further education for various target groups, IEMA takes responsibility for passing on the knowledge and experience gathered over many years by Ensemble Modern to coming generations. All IEMA programmes are conceived and implemented by Ensemble Modern members. Since the IEMA programmes take place in parallel with the ensemble’s continuous touring schedule, Ensemble Modern has established an education arm to fit within its own activities.

His
tory

One main focus of the education formats is the one-year Master’s degree course which IEMA has been offering in cooperation with the Frankfurt Music Academy since 2006. For one year, young artists (instrumentalists, conductors, composers and sound directors) work with Ensemble Modern members and renowned guest docents on the diverse repertoire of modernism. Tuition is offered in contemporary solo literature, chamber music and ensemble works with conductor. The results of this work are presented by the IEMA-Ensemble formed by every class, which presents up to 20 performances per year in Germany and abroad, including at major festivals. This degree course, unique throughout the world, has produced more than 320 graduates so far.

Furthermore, IEMA offers regular international master courses, during which Ensemble Modern docents work on contemporary repertoire with instrumentalists. Thus, from 2003 to 2021 Ensemble Modern members were responsible for the annual master course „Klangspuren International Ensemble Modern Academy” as part of the festival Klangspuren Schwaz in Tyrol. In 2021 and 2022 IEMA offered the master course „Hans Zender Academy” in Meersburg, in memory of Hans Zender. Since 2008 IEMA has offered the master course „epoch_f” for winners of the German federal competition „Jugend musiziert”. In 2017 the course was expanded to encompass an international element; it is now open to winners of international music competitions.

In the education field, from 2009 to 2018 IEMA collaborated with the Nantesbuch Foundation and other partners on the interdisciplinary, one-year project „CultureDayYear” at various Frankfurt schools. Since 2019 the music education efforts as part of IEMA’s Master’s degree course have continuously expanded, with students receiving dedicated training in this area and developing and implementing their own education projects.

The offerings of IEMA also include efforts for the coming generation of composers. After nine successful editions of the International Composition Seminar between 2004 and 2020, from 2022 onwards a more comprehensive mentoring programme with a radical focus on practical work is available: the International Composer & Conductor Seminars. The goal is to meet the demand for differentiated offerings for young composers and conductors at various stages of technical and artistic maturity.

Complementing IEMA’s offerings for young professional musicians, from 2022 onwards another target group has come into focus: the new coaching programme “Young Ensemble Academy” addresses the needs of very young contemporary music ensembles.

Thanks to support from the Kunststiftung NRW, the GVL, the Crespo Foundation, the KFW Stiftung and several donors and cooperating partners, IEMA is able to offer very different formats. It is active on various levels: starting with children and teenagers, via academy students finishing their professional education, all the way to conductors, composers and instrumentalists, who are already in the midst of their careers.