Hans Zender Festival
at the HfMDK
Like few other composers of his generation, Hans Zender, who would have turned 90 this year, influenced musical life during the past decades – as a composer, conductor, music theorist and teacher. The Frankfurt Academy of Music and Performing Arts (HfMDK) dedicates a two-day festival to Hans Zender on July 4 and 5. Entitled ›Denken hören – Hören denken‹ (Hearing thoughts – thinking sound), it involves former students, companions, international guests and current HfMDK teachers and students. Together with other students and guests, the IEMA-Ensemble 2025/26 performs Hans Zender’s ›33 Veränderungen über 33 Veränderungen – Eine komponierte Interpretation von Beethovens Diabelli-Variationen‹ under the baton of Michael Wendeberg. EM’s flutist Dietmar Wiesner presents ›Lo-Shu IV – 5 Haiku für Flöte und Violoncello‹ with Lucas Fels, who curated the festival.
