21st Century Musician

Hours and hours of practicing are often not enough – the successful start of the career is a very crucial part of each musician´s professional live… Be ready and manage your success yourself! 

In 2016, the Franco-Czech Music Academy in Telč had modified its long-term strategy and concept. The basics of musical instruction remain unchanged but the program has been expanded to include comprehensive education for young artists. The new complementary project “21st Century Musician” is aimed at providing the Academy participant general insight and experience necessary for their successful career in the contemporary world.

Artists and especially active musicians have to face new demands and problems. Industry knowledge and entrepreneurial behavior have become real assets to all young talented artists. To succeed, the musician has to be universal in its artistic skills. While having awareness of the national culture roots and personal artistic uniqueness, artists must be familiar to new trends in contemporary art and exchange experiences with international artists… Having all this in mind, our aim is to direct young artists to successfully continue their careers in the 21st. century and to provide them with all the information they need.

Since 2016, the Academy has included Music Management Live Lectures focusing on the current changing situation in European culture environment as well as further consequences of recent radical changes on globalized music market. The tuition will create an awareness of important steps in a musical career and will give an overview of the two main parts of musical careers for young musicians – recording business and live performance. Young musicians will also get some useful and practical advices on Merchandising and PR activities.

Partner of the project: Donau-Universität Krems

Danube University Krems is one of the pioneering institutions in Europe in the field of university-based advanced education. Its courses are specifically oriented toward the needs of working professionals in five areas of study. DUK combines almost 20 years of experience in postgraduate education with innovation and highest quality standards in research and teaching having profound experience in designing Blended Learning concepts and/or e-Learning course modules. With its 17,000 graduates from 90 countries, it is one of the leading providers of further education courses in Europe. Especially unique is the Center for Applied Music Research  with its master´s programme „Music Management“ which was started in 2005 as the very first post-graduate educational programme in Europe. The 5 semestre program supports students in qualifying for successful international careers in the rapidly changing music industry both as musicians and management professionals. In research projects the Center for Contemporary Music cooperates with international music industry.

The Certified Programme “Contemporary Music Education”  is directed towards musicians, teachers and composers who are looking to acquire a deep knowledge of the developments in composition after the year 1945. Apart from dealing with the broad musical currents of the last 70 years, students will develop hands-on experience through practical experimentation and communication of contemporary compositions in cooperation with contemporary music festivals. The aim is to enable students to make contemporary music accessible in different settings so that they may autonomously encourage projects and realise them within their field of work.

Composer-in-Residence 2019 – Miguel Kertsman

 „Composer and musician Miguel Kertsman lets us hear music rooted in European classical traditions and Brazilian folklore… An unbelievable Journey through time and Brazil’s music history… Overall, this music remains indescribable and defies categorization.” (Rolling Stone)

More informations here.

 

CONTEMPORARY MUSIC DAY – 15th JULY 2019

The Contemporary Music Day will take place as a part of the Franco-Czech Music Academy and its project 21st Century Musician“The key partner, guarantor and advisor for the whole programme is Danube University Krems (Donau-Universität Krems) and the university Center for Contemporary Music directed by Dr. Eva Maria Stöckler. This top Austrian university recommends composers-in-residence from among the ranks of leading European figures for the entire “21st Century Musician Project”. The program aims at making contemporary music maximally accessible to its students so that they interpret it with ease and can independently develop and implement various contemporary music projects as part of their profession.

In the future, contemporary music workshops in Telč will focus on the study of the oeuvre of the visiting composer. Participants and the composer will thus have an opportunity to take part in a mutual creative process. The composer’s guidance will allow the students to fully understand his or her musical expression. As well for this year, the objective is for the Academy participants to study with the composer-in-residence at least a portion of his or her contemporary work to understand his or her musical statement and contemporary musical expressions and to experience a true creative work process.

For 2019, Miguel Kertsmana renowned composer of Brazilian origin, was selected as the composer-in-residence. With his open approach, general insight and original, impressive music, Kertsman will be an engaging guide in the world contemporary music. Miguel Kertsman is also the Director of the postgraduate „Music Management“ master´s programme (MA) of the Danube University Krems. The Contemporary Music Day program is open to public.

Why contemporary music in Telč? Food for thought…

John Cage:

I can’t understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.

Yefim Bronfman:

I love contemporary music. It’s music that is alive, related to our times and to what we’re experiencing. I enjoy discovering new things very much. I’m literally curious. Contemporary music is very important. Personally, I think continuity in music must be preserved, otherwise music as such will die. But contemporary music is also irreplaceable for personal artistic development. When you play contemporary music and then return to Beethoven, you perceive him in a new way. You realise that at his time Beethoven was even more modern than our contemporary composers. You become aware of the genius present in Beethoven, Mozart and others even more when you interpret recent music and then return to them. We don’t have to traditionally proceed from old to contemporary music. If you turn the process around and go from the contemporary towards the past, you discover lots of new things. Contemporary music sheds new and special light on the old music and helps you rediscover it. However, the key thing is, I do enjoy working with contemporary composers. Compositions were written for me by E.P. Salonen, Jörg Widmann, Brigit Cheng Magnus Lidberg and others… Collaboration must also be based on the chemistry between people. You know, these composers are my dear friends, I love them as human beings with whom I have a mutual understanding. They are extraordinary people and their music is extremely original and unmistakeable. New compositions born out of this collaboration are based upon friendship, mutual respect and understanding.

Alina Ibragimova:

I generally like to do more contemporary music, it is something I haven´t done that much in the last couple of years and suddenly I really feel like I miss it, I feel the urge to play more or even maybe to commission some works. I want something new and the new language and new points… something that really comes from today’s world. Of course all the works that we play are very relevant today, but I mean something that comes from a living person, now. And specially when there is a world premiere I like the excitement of hearing something for the first time and rehearsal it. It is so exciting! It is a process that comes from the composer to us, to the musicians and we are making it happen together… There is always something really fun about that and this is why I miss it a little bit…

(Excerpts of interviews Markéta Vejvodová, former director of the French-Czech Music Academy in Telč, did with Yefim Bronfman and Alina Ibragimova for the Czech Radio and the Harmonie magazine.)

Repertoire to study:

In 2019, the Franco-Czech Music Academy Telč opens the contemporary music repertoire study to all compositions created post 1990. Miguel Kertsman, the composer-in-residence and workshop head, will lead the participants to fully understanding the composition and musical expression of the piece at hand. The study of Kertsman’s work directly with the composer is very welcome!

List of compositions by Miguel Kertsman recommended for study:

  • Four Choros & Lullabies for Flute & Piano
  • Concerto for flute, strings and percussion (II. Mouvement)
  • Concerto for Horn & Violin SHOFAR (II. Mouvement)
  • Duo for Contrabass and Violoncello “STOP IT!” (I. Mouvement)

Audio download here. 

The music scores will be sent to participants interested in studying the selected pieces.

 

Partners
Under the financial support of The Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.
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