Hirschmann Masterclass
SJMW
The Hirschmann Masterclass at the Centre de Musique Hindemith Blonay 2019
The prize winners met for the 5th Hirschmann Masterclass at the Centre de Musique Hindemith in Blonay near Vevey in the canton of Vaud between 27th July and 3rd August 2019.
Valerie Probst, Managing Director of the Stiftung Schweizer Jugendmusik Wettbewerb (Swiss Youth Music Competition Foundation), and her team organised and managed the class in a professional way.
The Hindemith Centre in Blonay offers an excellent infrastructure and facilitates high-level activities.
The young people had the space and the opportunity to exchange their experiences, to practise music together in a private setting and to make new friends. As a result of the positive atmosphere, cordial friendships developed beyond the differences in ages and languages.
11 musicians were invited to Blonay as prize winners: Three flautists, two violinists, one viola player, two pianists and two cellists.
The focus of the weekly classes was on early 20th century music as well as contemporary music. Each day saw the lecturers instructing different ensembles. The composer Klaus Ospald studied two of his own compositions with the young people up until the end of the weekly class.
Seven professors were responsible for the classes:
- Urs Walker, violin
- Yukiko lshibashi, violin
- Andreas Szalatnay, piano
- Katarina Gavrilovic, transverse flute
- Rhea Paschen, clarinette
- Klaus Ospald, composer, and lecturer
- Jörg Schneider, sophrology/mental preparation
For the first time, Jörg Schmeider, a musician and a sophrologist, introduced to the participants to sophrology, which is a relaxation method used to help performers prepare mentally before they step in front of an audience. The young musicians positively accepted the new method.
The closing concert took place on 3rd August 2019 in the concert hall of the Hindemith Music Centre.
