Frankfurt - New York: Composing and making music
In mid-April 2024, 15 students from the HfMDK and the Manhattan School of Music (MSM) will embark on a two-week cooperation project in which they will visit each other in Frankfurt and New York City and work together on and perform works from their own ranks. On April 14, four musicians, three composers and a conductor from the Big Apple will come to Frankfurt to embark on an artistic adventure with four musicians and three composers from the metropolis on the Main.
The six composers have written works - each in their own style - for flute, saxophone, clarinet, horn, trumpet, guitar, violin and double bass, which will be rehearsed by their fellow students in a few days and then performed for the very first time in four concerts, twice in the Rhine-Main region and twice in New York. The program will be complemented by the "Festive Sounds" by German-American composer Ursula Mamlok (1923-2016), whose foundation is helping to make the project possible. The eight-piece ensemble is made up of students from the MSM's "Contemporary Performance" master's program and students from the instrumental subjects and the IEMA from the HfMDK.
The first concert with the world premieres of the works will take place on April 19 at 7:30 pm in the Great Hall of the HfMDK, the second on April 20 at 4 pm at the Akademie für Tonkunst in Darmstadt. The two concerts in New York will take place on April 24 at the Manhattan School of Music and on April 28 at another venue in New York. Journalists are welcome to attend the rehearsal days (April 15-18) and the concert at the HfMDK (April 19).
In addition to the musical work, the two project weeks also include activities designed to teach students about the countries and their people and to strengthen the personal bonds between the students. The two project leaders, Prof. Dr. Ulrich Kreppein from the HfMDK and Prof. Dr. Reiko Füting from the MSM, are aiming for long-term international cooperation between the two universities with this artistic exchange: The students should enter into a lasting intercultural dialog, learn from each other, stay in contact with each other for as long as possible and draw on their special shared experiences. And future students should also be able to benefit from the new transatlantic cooperation.
The Frankfurt - New York 2024 encounter is supported on the Frankfurt side by the German Academic Exchange Service, the Society of Friends and Patrons of the HfMDK and by QSL funds from the University (for Quality Improvement in Study Conditions and Teaching). The New York students receive financial support from the Dwight and Ursula Mamlok Foundation.
Schedule
- Sunday, April 14: Arrival of the students from NYC in Frankfurt
- Monday, April 15 to Thursday, April 18: Rehearsal days in Frankfurt
- Friday, April 19, 7:30 p.m.: Concert I, HfMDK Frankfurt, Great Hall
- Saturday, April 20, 4 p.m.: Concert II, Akademie für Tonkunst Darmstadt
- Sunday, April 21: Trip of all students to New York
- Monday, April 22 and Tuesday, April 23: Rehearsal days in New York
- Wednesday, April 24, 7:30 p.m.: Concert III, Manhattan School of Music
- Sunday, April 28: Concert IV, concert venue in NYC to be announced
- Monday, April 29: Departure of the HfMDK students to Frankfurt
Project participants
Musicians:
HfMDK
- Javier Cuenca (guitar, Master of Artistic Instrumental Studies)
- Pablo Piñeiro Mundin (clarinet, Master IEMA CoMP*)
- Robyn Blair (horn, Master IEMA CoMP*)
- Emmett Jackson (double bass, Master IEMA CoMP*)
(* International Ensemble Modern Academy, Contemporary Music Performance Master)
MSM
- Adeline DeBella (flute)
- Grace Pressley (saxophone)
- Sam Friedman (trumpet)
- Yeji Pyun (violin)
- Hwanee Pak (conductor)
Composers:
HfMDK
- Arwen Campbell (Bachelor Composition)
- Francesco Borghetti (Master Composition)
- Tomás Jesús Ocaña González (Master Composition)
MSM
- Yue Chen
- Jianing Song
- Santiago Gutierrez
Organizers:
- Prof. Dr. Ulrich Kreppein (HfMDK)
- Prof. Dr. Reiko Füting (MSM)
