A house full of music

The Fête de la Musique is celebrated around the world at the start of summer on June 21. This year, the Bremen University of the Arts (HfK) is taking this as an opportunity to invite people to visit its premises on Friday, June 21, 2024, from 3 to 10 pm. An open day will be celebrated in the lively atmosphere of the Faculty of Music at Dechanatstraße 13-15 - as a fairground of diverse musical styles. “We want to make the HfK Bremen tangible in all its diversity and show how inspiring music education is for the city,” explains the curator of the series of events, Prof. Olaf Tzschoppe.
Insights into the university's rehearsal rooms will allow students to enjoy chamber concerts. Performances in the gallery and in the concert hall will give a glimpse of what could become of them. The HfK Bremen Baroque Orchestra, conducted by Prof. Mechthild Karkow, will be playing a number of works by Bach, Corelli, Vivaldi and Telemann from 6.30 pm. At the final concert, from 8.15 pm, the HfK percussion class will perform Rick Dior's “Science Fiction” for large percussion ensemble, electronics and video montage. 
Prior to this, the university doors will open every 30 minutes for 20-minute concerts. The day will be opened at 3 p.m. by the brass ensemble, which will perform on the balcony. Music can also be heard in the stairwell and in the corridors, for example from the bassoon quartet, pop choir and early music vocal ensemble. A special highlight: from 4.30 pm to 7.30 pm, it is possible to climb the stairs up to the legendary tower organ, where Erik Satie's “Vexations” can be experienced. In the courtyard behind the refectory, bands from the jazz department will be performing on an open-air stage. 
For those who don't just want to listen and watch, students of Elementary Music Education offer “Join in for everyone” in their well-equipped room 2.32, for example body percussion from 4.30 pm. DJ Nico Thom, head of the Klaus Kuhnke Institute for Popular Music at the HfK, will be playing in the inner courtyard from 10 pm. And the best part: Admission to all concerts and activities is free of charge. Catering will be provided by Mensa 13. 

Further highlights:

16.00 hrs | String Sextet | Chamber Music Hall
Program: Arnold Schönberg (1874-1951): String Sextet “Transfigured Night” op. 4
Performers: Penghua Huang and Chien-Wei Yang (violin), Hou Kuan NG and Yiwen Cao (viola), Wan-Yu Chang and Jingyi Wie (cello)

16.00 hrs | French Program | Room 2.17
Program: Greek settings by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) and Attik (1885-1944)
Performers: Anastasia Lakka-Boni (soprano) and Gretel Jarazon (piano)

4.30 pm | Reach out your hand | Room 1.29
Program: Ludwig van Beethoven (1170-1827): Trio for two oboes and cor anglais in C major op. 87
Performers: Yi-Chi Chen (1st oboe), Yu Kinoshita (2nd oboe), Minghao Zhang (cor anglais)

17.00 hrs | Piano Trio | Room 2.17
Program: César Franck (1822-1890): Trio for piano, violin and violoncello in F sharp major op. 1/1
Performers: Álvaro Cordova Luna (violin), Sebastian Jörgensen (violoncello) and Marcelo Sandoval Olmos (piano)

5.30 pm | Silenzio | Gallery
Program: Sofia Gubaidulina (*1931): Silenzio (1991) - five pieces for bayan, violin and violoncello
Performers: Zeyi Wang (violin), Jingyi Wie (violoncello) and Xinyi Fang (accordion)

17.50 hrs | Salsa Ensemble | Courtyard
Conductor: Gerd Seemann

18.00 hrs | Atelier New Music | Chamber Music Hall
Program: 
Mara Hebel (*1997): Body - Approach to an Espressivo (2024)
Olga Neuwirth (*1968): Marsayas II (2005) for flute, viola, violoncello and piano
Performers: Debora Ziemer (viola) and the “ensembleANM”, conductor: René Gulikers

19.00 hrs | Jazz: Double Trouble | inner courtyard
Line-up: Michael Haupt (bass), Magnus Bodzin (bass), Jens Rathfelder (guitar), Frederik Palupski (drums) and Dani Catalán (vibraphone)

The complete program is available here.