Excellence in training

Matthias von Orelli - In addition to special Master's degree courses with individual focus options, music universities in Switzerland also offer a Master's degree in Specialized Music Performance, which aims to develop artistic excellence in a comprehensive sense. This primarily includes unrestricted skills on the instrument, voice or in performance, as well as an individual artistic profile, the development of own projects at the highest level, extensive repertoire knowledge, the ability to reflect and a strong performance presence and competence. This Master's degree is primarily aimed at students with above-average talent who want to achieve a top international level through individualized training.

Founded in 2010 as a private school, the Kalaidos School of Music offers music studies in classical, jazz and popular music in Switzerland and neighboring countries. The expansion of the MA Specialized Music Performance course (which was conceived in 2015) from one student in 2016 to an expected seven students in 2017 underlines the growth of this school. Pianist Sven Bauer was the only student of Lev Natochenny at the beginning, but there are now three pianists studying with him. From February, a Chinese violinist will be studying with Xiaoming Wang (concertmaster at Zurich Opera House and leader of the Stradivari Quartet). This shows that international experience is taken into account when selecting lecturers at the school.

At Kalaidos, modules such as self-marketing, public relations, concert acquisition, agency contacts or career service are part of the course in addition to the primary artistic teaching. Participation in at least three competitions or master classes is also planned. The final examination consists of three concerts: a non-public concert, the public master's concert and a public concert as a soloist with orchestra.

For Sven Bauer, the path to the Kalaidos University of Music was a natural one. He initially studied with Lev Natochenny in Frankfurt am Main and was able to continue his studies with "his" professor when he decided to attend Kalaidos Musikhochschule. Moreover, the educational concept of this university suits Sven Bauer, who is aiming for a career as a soloist and, thanks to the flexible system, has the opportunity to obtain a state-recognized Master's degree in addition to his already considerable concert career. The young violinist David Nebel, on the other hand, is only on his way to an MA Specialized Music Performance. He considers the decision to do a Bachelor's degree at Kalaidos to be the ideal solution for him. He also needs a lot of time and flexibility for concerts and CD recordings, but ultimately also for his own practicing. He therefore feels that the system on offer is tailored to him, and the fact that his teacher, Alexander Gilman, teaches at the school was also decisive for him. A school abroad was out of the question, as his family lives in Switzerland and he wants to focus his studies primarily on the ideal teacher. Nebel emphasizes that studying at Kalaidos undoubtedly requires a great deal of self-discipline, but in return he enjoys a degree of flexibility that he might not have elsewhere. And thanks to the private lessons, the student is also making rapid progress in his development - Nebel is correspondingly confident about the coming months and the intended transfer to the MA Specialized Music Performance course.

Violinist Anne Solveig Weber was accepted as a junior student at the Munich University of Music at the age of 13 and came to Zurich via Paris, where she now studies with Nora Chastain. When she arrived in Zurich, she was in the middle of her Bachelor's degree and immediately followed this up with a first Master's degree. After a break of one semester, she was able to continue her studies with the MA Specialized Music Performance. The wide range of courses on offer at the ZHdK, which are tailored to the needs of the students, as well as the individual modularity of the study profile were decisive factors in her choice of study location - she appreciates the fact that the university makes it possible to attend activities accompanying her studies, such as the orchestra academies with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra or the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. She also considers the MA Specialized Music Performance to be ideal because it allows her to already have one foot in professional life, while continuing to receive impulses from great teachers through her studies in order to further develop and perfect her playing. In three semesters, Anne Solveig Weber will probably complete the MA Specialized Music Performance and then start to shape her professional career - be it with a position in a large orchestra, active chamber music activities or teaching.

Mezzo-soprano Madeleine Merz, who is studying the same course in Zurich, also benefits from this individual approach. She attended acting classes as a minor subject for two semesters and also trained in orchestral conducting. She has discovered that bodywork, which plays a major role at the ZHdK, is an important aspect of her training. Her goal is to perform as a soloist on national and international stages and to constantly develop herself further. Thanks to the exchange offered between the individual specializations within the Specialized Performance Master's, she feels equipped to assert herself as a versatile artist in the music business. In general, these specializations and focuses in Zurich are a central factor in the development of a universal and self-responsible artistic personality that can ultimately move competently in the cultural sector. The ZHdK can also boast a variety of other subject areas (theater, dance, film, art, media and design), which offer a particularly creative environment and are further enriched thanks to collaborations with other music academies. For example, the ZHdK cooperates with the Bern University of the Arts (HKB) in the field of opera. Due to changes in the opera business, the ZHdK is responsible for training singers, while the Swiss Opera Studio at the HKB is responsible for scenic training. It was there that Madeleine Merz was given her first major role.

Other factors were decisive for the change of university. On the one hand, her lecturer, Yvonne Naef, who only teaches in Zurich (an application without a specific wish to teach was out of the question for her), and on the other hand, the desire for change after completing her Bachelor's degree at the HKB, a degree in choral conducting and church music at the Bern Church Music School and the MA Music Performance with a specialization in opera, also at the HKB. For Madeleine Merz, the main feature of the MA Specialized Music Performance in Zurich is the individuality with which she can shape her course of study and the focus on developing a comprehensive, independent artistic personality.