I somehow managed to compose something again, after quite a time without any creative musical output. The engraving of my three-movement SonaTine for piano solo, dedicated to Tine Tl'dr, is now available here: www.t.ly/v78yJ. As always, comments and appreciations are welcome.
In her recent piece for @vanmagazin.bsky.social, Swiss music educator and communicator Barbara Balba Weber sketches an exit strategy from the corrupted business of classical music. I can relate to these feelings very strongly, and felt much inspired by this article.
I will be appearing on stage with Vokalsystem Berlin again in a concert programme named »Symmetries«, featuring music by Johann Sebastian Bach, John Tavener, Caroline Shaw, and Radiohead, on 14 and 15 February at Martin-Luther-Kirche Neukölln. See here for tickets: shop.eventjet.at/de/vokalsyst...
I had the opportunity of speaking for my association, Tonkünstlerverband Berlin, in front of the Committee of Cultural Affairs in the Berlin House of Representatives in a discussion about Berlin's public music schools. You can listen to my statement here: t.ly/nIhKl (starting at 51:37 and 2:09:36).
Für den Tonkünstlerverband Berlin habe ich eine Stellungnahme zur aktuellen Musikschulpolitik des Berliner Senats verfasst. Wir begrüßen die Pläne für mehr Festanstellungen, diese sind aber unzureichend, um eine nachhaltige Versorgung mit Musikschulunterricht zu gewährleisten. Mehr: www.t.ly/Qujjg
Ich habe als Interviewpartner an einer Audiodokumentation mitgewirkt, in der es um Exzellenz im klassischen Musikbetrieb und Kontexte wie Ausbildung, Wettbewerb und berufliche Anforderungen ging. Mit Einverständnis der Autorin Judith Rauwald stelle ich einen Zusammenschnitt meiner Beiträge bereit.
Last week I took part in the conference »Music, Copyright Law, and Open Education«, hosted by @openmusicacademy.bsky.social at Gasteig Munich. There were papers by Frédéric Döhl, Friederike von Franqué, Fabian Rack, and a panel discussion with Matthias Hornschuh, Ulrich Kaiser, Renate Schmid et al.
My association of musicians, Tonkünstlerverband Berlin, has issued a new edition of their fee guidelines for freelance gigs, rehearsals, and teaching. The document can serve as a point of reference for the value of the work of professionally trained musicians. Please share widely!
I have been involved in a working group for the prevention of abuse of power in German musicology. At this year's conference of @musikforschung.bsky.social we presented a report of our activities, meticulously compiled by Ina Knoth. Thanks go also to: Cornelia Bartsch, Beate Kraus, Paolina Aquilino.
The winter term at my university is about to commence. Also looking forward to some events and travels: the annual conference of @musikforschung.bsky.social in Weimar, the conference of the Gesellschaft für Musiktheorie in Lübeck, and the final symposium of @openmusicacademy.bsky.social in Munich.
My daughter Cosima composed an accomplished solo harp piece at the beginning of the year, named »Dreaming Willow«, which is also playable on the piano with a few decent alterations. I now took the opportunity to record the piece—hope you have as much fun listening as I had while performing!
I will be appearing with Vokalsystem Berlin in two great projects: the interdisciplinary concert »Horizons« with music by Aleotti, Whitacre, Panufnik and Shaw (12–13 July, www.t.ly/eKUPx), and a staging of Johann Strauß's operetta »Die Fledermaus« at Kammeroper Rheinsberg (2–15 Aug, www.t.ly/StL8Z).
This has been the most intense university semester I've experienced so far: two half-time positions in Düsseldorf and Dresden, part-time work as managing director of Tonkünstlerverband Berlin, two lectures, two job interviews, apartment hunting, as well as significant developments in private life.
My daughter Cosima (14) passionately loves to play the harp. She started on a celtic harp five years ago and recently switched to the pedal harp. Her current rental instrument won't be available any longer, so we now seek to finance her first own harp. Please consider a donation in our crowdfunding!
Am 17.05.2025 hat die diesjährige ordentliche Mitgliederversammlung im Tonkünstlerverband Berlin stattgefunden, bei der ein neuer Vorstand gewählt wurde. Ich freue mich, auch künftig ein dynamisches und vielversprechendes Team mit meiner Tätigkeit in der Geschäftsführung unterstützen zu können.
Herzliche Einladung zum Lecture Recital im Kammermusiksaal der RSH Düsseldorf. Am Dienstag, 6. Mai, um 19:30 Uhr spreche ich über Klaviermusik von Maurice Ravel. »Im Fluss. Ravels Wassermusiken für Klavier: Jeux d'eau, Une barque sur l'océan, Ondine«. Sukyeon Kim und Dingyuan Chang spielen Klavier.
I'll be teaching an analysis class on the piano music of Maurice Ravel, starting in April at RSH Düsseldorf. In addition, there will be a lecture concert on Ravel's water-inspired compositions on Tuesday, 6 May, 7:30 pm, where I will talk about »Jeux d'eau« et alii. Join me if you like! #ravel150
Der Vorstand der Gesellschaft für Musiktheorie hat eine Stellungnahme zu der im Mai 2024 erschienenen MULEM-EX-Studie zum Musiklehrkräftemangel veröffentlicht, die sich mit der Empfehlung, für das Lehramt Musik auf Eignungsprüfungen in Musiktheorie und Gehörbildung zu verzichten, auseinandersetzt.
I have the pleasure of welcoming two guests to my current piano sonatas seminar at RSH Düsseldorf. Both sessions will be open for colleagues and friends. Let me know if you'd like to join!
— 22 January, 9 am: Severin von Eckardstein plays Medtner
— 5 February, 9 am: Kyra Steckeweh plays Pejačević
Excited to perform Giuseppe Verdi's Messa da Requiem today with Vokalsystem, Enchore, and Sibelius Orchester under the direction of Simon Rössler in the Philharmonie Berlin! The concert is sold out, but you can join us on Feb 15, 6 pm, for a singalong concert at Martin-Luther-Kirche. www.t.ly/lv6Hs
I am mourning the death of my friend and colleague Stephan Schönlau (1985–2024), who passed away recently during the Christmas holidays after a fierce battle against cancer for two and a half years. Read my small obituary here: www.wendelinbitzan.de/in-remembrance-of-stephan
I pondered over the relationship of #musicology and #musictheory, examining different aspects of collaboration, cooperation, and competition between the two fields and their protagonists. See my article »Along with, side by side, or past each other« in Die Musikforschung 77, no. 4 (2024): 332–343.
The first-ever complete recording of Nikolai Medtner's vocal music is finally finished. With this 5-CD series, Ekaterina Levental and Frank Peters have made a substantial contribution to the Medtner discography that can hardly be overestimated. Congratulations to everybody involved in this project!
Currently teaching a musicology seminar at RSH Düsseldorf on piano sonatas of the late-19th and early-20th centuries. After delving into music by Liszt, Grieg, Smyth, and Draeseke, I am now looking forward to Lysenko, Janáček, Chaminade, Pejačević, Bartók, Korngold, Ullmann, and others.
I will be conducting an online workshop for the Netzwerk 4.0 der Musikhochschulen on designing open educational resources and tutorials using the platform Open Music Academy. If you are teaching at a conservatory or music university, feel free to join!
This week I will begin teaching as a visiting professor at Hochschule für Musik Dresden. For the coming academic year, I will lecture music theory, aural skills, and analysis in the BA, school music, and composition programmes. Looking forward to a fruitful exchange with students and colleagues!
Looking forward to the annual conference of the Gesellschaft für Musiktheorie (GMTH), hosted by BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg next weekend, 4–6 October. I will be contributing with a workshop on the possibilities and functionality of the openmusic.academy. See you in Cottbus soon!
Currently preparing a chapter for a Stravinsky volume, focusing on historical and contemporary analyses of his music. Beyond the ubiquitous Taruskin, Kholopov, Straus, Horlacher, et alii: is there anything notable that I should care about and include in my survey? Please let me know.
Es gibt eine neue Lehrbeauftragten-Erhebung der Gesellschaft für Musiktheorie, in der es um Arbeitsbedingungen, Einkommen und Einbindung in institutionelle Strukturen geht. Falls Ihr im Lehrauftrag Musiktheorie und/oder Gehörbildung unterrichtet, nehmt bitte an der Umfrage teil!
My children have both changed their school and now attend the Georg-Friedrich-Händel-Gymnasium Berlin, a high school with an extensive profile in music education. My daughter also studies harp, piano, and music theory at the local music school, while my son takes guitar and violin lessons.
