# University of Music and Theatre Munich

The University of Music and Theatre Munich (German: Hochschule für Musik und Theater München), also known as the Munich Conservatory, is a performing arts conservatory in Munich, Germany. The main building it currently occupies is the former Führerbau of the NSDAP, located at Arcisstraße 12, on the eastern side of the Königsplatz. Teaching and other events also take place at Luisenstraße 37a, Gasteig, the Prinzregententheater (theatre studies), and in Wilhelmstraße (ballet). Since 2008, the Richard Strauss Conservatory (de), until then independent, has formed part of the university.

## History

In 1846, a private institution called the Royal Conservatory of Music (Königliches Conservatorium für Musik) was founded, and in 1867, at the suggestion of Richard Wagner, this was transformed by King Ludwig II into the Royal Bavarian Music School (Königliche bayerische Musikschule), financed privately by Ludwig II until gaining the status of a state institution in 1874. It has since been renamed several times: to the Royal Academy of the Art of Music (Königliche Akademie der Tonkunst), the State Academy of Music (Staatliche Akademie der Tonkunst), the University for Music (Hochschule für Musik) and finally to the present name in 1998.
Its original location, the Odeonsgebäude, was destroyed in 1944. The current building was constructed for the Nazi party by Paul Troost and was called the Führerbau. Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler signed the Munich Agreement in this building in 1938. Hitler's office, on the second floor above the main entrance, is now a rehearsal room, but has been changed little since it was built.
In 1974, the Bavarian University Act placed the Munich college, as well as all other Bavarian music colleges, on an educational par with art colleges.

## Programmes

The university offers study programmes in performing and teaching in all music subjects and ballet, as well as joint study programmes with the Bayerische Theaterakademie August Everding covering operatic performance, acting, directing, musicals, make-up for the theatre and lighting design.

## Former and present staff

* Josef Rheinberger
* Max Reger composition from 1905 to 1906
* Fritz Lehmann 1953–1956
* Fritz Schieri chorus line, composition and music theory from 1959 to 1990
* Ernst Haefliger 1971–1988 voice
* Wilhelm Killmayer 1973–1992 composition
* Diethard Hellmann 1974 choral conducting, 1981–1988 director
* Max Beckschäfer 1988–2001 composition theory
* Margarita Höhenrieder piano since 1991
* Rudi Spring since 1999 Lied interpretation
* Miku Nishimoto-Neubert, piano accompaniment since 2002
* Siegfried Mauser, Rektor 2003–2007; 2007–2014
* Talia Or (born 1977), singing
* Christoph Poppen since 2003 violin and chamber music
* Bernd Redmann since 2005 music theory and ear training
* Jan Müller-Wieland since 2007 composition
* Julia Fischer since 2011 violin
* Bernhard Haas since 2013 organ
* Marcus Bosch (from 2016), conducting

## Alumni

* Laura Aikin
* Benjamin Appl
* Valentina Babor
* Jason Barry-Smith
* Nélida Béjar
* Martin Bernheimer
* Winfried Bönig
* Milana Chernyavska
* Annette Dasch
* Gabriel Dessauer
* Jurgita Dronina
* Christoph von Dohnányi
* Claudia Eder
* Harold Faltermeyer
* Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos
* Mihoko Fujimura
* Ricardo Gallen
* Christian Gerhaher
* Thomas Guggeis
* Claus Guth
* Anna Handler
* Hildegard Heichele
* Gerold Huber
* Nicolaus A. Huber
* Anna Korsun
* Horst Laubenthal
* Elisabeth Lindermeier
* Nick McCarthy
* Gerhard Merkl
* Nils Mönkemeyer
* Carl Orff
* Helga Pogatschar
* Bernd Purkrabek
* Bernd Redmann
* Pichu Sambamoorthi
* Hanns-Martin Schneidt
* Kirill Troussov
* Jörg Widmann
* Heinz Winbeck
* Carl Valentin Wunderle
* Karl Maria Zwißler
* Jonas Kaufmann

## Honorary doctorates

* Hans Werner Henze 2004
* Robert Münster [de]
* Gernot Gruber 2011