About us


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"Don't only practice your art, but force your way into its secrets"Ludwig van Beethoven
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As one of the world's leading summer academies, European Music Institute's Wiener Meisterkurse, founded in 1975 by the late conductor Günther Theuring and since 2016 led by Artistic Director Jörg Birhance, is an international epicentre of music education and training, where we pursue Beethoven's imperative together with our students, young musicians from all over the world.

Through the study and practice of the masterworks of the classic epoch we believe to consign a key to the understanding of all musical styles and epochs of the international concert repertoire up to contemporary music.

The epoch of Viennese Classics, the period in which music as art has found to its "highest clarity of inner and outer appearance" (Hans Swarowsky), is thus a key for our musical education. It can provide those striving for full understanding of all parameters of a musical piece – insofar they have learned to combine theory and practice – with the skills to accomplish every style of art music.

We introduce young artists to musical analysis, performance practice and to the various criteria for evaluating compositions. With additional features, European Music Institute Vienna aims to prepare students for the versatile and challenging future of the musician’s profession.

Music keeps its secrets, and yet, we can never stop striving to disclose them, even with the awareness that we might never disclose them at all. Therefore, as musicians, who feel compelled to our art, we must indeed follow the demanding and beautiful imperative Beethoven has left to us.


Venue: Otto-Wagner-Areal

New ideas need old buildings

From 1975 - 2010, the ideal place for our joyful pursuit of musical excellence has been the building of MuK in Viennas City Centre, then, from 2011 - 2023 the marvelous Laudon Palace, one of Vienna’s most beautiful Baroque palaces, and its sumptuous surroundings.

In the palace, whose halls are also an architectural statement of the Age of Enlightenment, musical performances have taken place since the times of Haydn and Mozart. Joseph Haydn dedicated his Symphony No. 69 to the owner, Gideon von Laudon, who was an enthusiastic patron of the arts and sciences.

However, tempora mutantur et nos mutamur in illis, due to the change of ownership of Laudon Palace, we are moving on to the Otto-Wagner-Areal, a former hospital site from the meaningful Viennese Art Nouveau period.

The area is centered by the Jugendstiltheater and crowned by the most beautiful Otto-Wagner-Church, located in a wide park on a hill in the west of Vienna, whose pavilions are now being made accessible to the arts and sciences by the City of Vienna.


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Former Venue: Schloss Laudon


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People

Get in Touch

We always love to hear from you and answer your queries.
Feel free to contact us at any time.

Venue

From 8 July to 8 August 2024:
Otto-Wagner-Areal
Baumgartner Höhe 1
A-1140 Vienna, Austria

Contact


Permanent Mailing Address:

European Music Institute Vienna

Kandlgasse 5a/1

A-1070 Vienna
Austria

Phone: +43 676 385 37 44

E-mail: info@emi-vienna.com

 


    Partners

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    Partner Program:
    If you want to become a sponsor or make a donation - every support for our students is most welcome.
    Donations can easily be made via Paypal by clicking this link.
    For receiving information about our sponsorship packages, please send us an email.

    Scholarship Donators 2017-2023:
    Elfie Rühl, Mag. Susanne und Dr. Rudolf Grünzweig, Isolde und Dr. Max Lobmeyr.

    Special thanks to: Ahsen Chowdhury, Ana E. García Priego, Aitana, Alexander Basta, Andreas Popper, Isolde Lobmeyr, Dr. Manfred Matzka, Hermann Rauter, Moritz Schuschnigg, Wilhelm Steiner, Rudolf Plank, Bettina Gruber, Martin Riegler, but to name a few.


    Photocredits: Francisco Araiza©Francisco Araiza, Jörg Birhance©Alexander Basta, José-Danile Castello©privat, Ioana Cristina Goicea©Zuzanna-Specjal, Eszter Haffner©privat, Martin Hughes©jbirhance, Vladimir Kharin©privat, Reinhard Latzko©chjungwirth, Svetlana Makarova©claudedussez, Anna Malikova©privat, Stephan Möller©privat, Magali Mosnier©privat, Miklós Perényi©Miklós Perényi, Rudolf Piernay©Rudolf Piernay, Uta Schwabe©privat, Henja Semmler@Maike Katherina Helbig, Snezana Stamenkovic©privat, Elsabeth de Trejo©mauriciodetrejo, Pavel Vernikov©claudedussez, István Várdai@Marco Borggreve, Claudia Visca©privat, Wladislaw Winokurow©privat, Photos Laudon Palace and Otto-Wagner-Areal all ©Joerg Birhance with Rolleiflex T3 on Kodak Portra.
    Any violation of copyright is unintentional; we apologize if such occur, please send us, in case, a short notice.