Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover

Regular course length 4 semesters
Course leading to the degree of Master of Music

Incontri (= Italian for “encounters”) is the name of the Institute for New Music at the University of Music, Drama and Media Hannover (Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover - HMTMH).

This Institute of the HMTMH offers diverse and flexible opportunities for up-and-coming composers and thrilling encounters between composers, improvisers, interpreters and the public in the field of New Music. The Institute assists and promotes its students both in traditional composition and in improvisation, interdisciplinary projects and experiments.
At the same time, Incontri stands for an open aesthetic position with the aspiration to provide the highest level of quality. Practical aspects are particularly emphasised in its work, so that students have numerous opportunities to experience their works in performance. The work is distinctly international, and enriched by the variety of cultures from which the students are drawn. From the encounter between manifold traditions and new, exciting issues, Incontri strikes the sparks which will ignite the music of the future.

1. Course content and objective/Tuition
The Institute offers sound and broadly based tuition in Composition with the widest variety of areas of work and of opportunities in the fields of instrumental and electronic composition, including interdisciplinary work; the Master’s degree course offers a large number of possibilities for concentrating on a particular field. The aim of the course is to foster the student of composition’s continued development and to sharpen his or her contours as an autonomous and original personality in his or her craft.
The programme of tuition is characterised by theoretical and practical work in individual tutorials, seminars, workshops, master classes, concerts and special projects. The networking of the Institute for New Music with a variety of local, national and international institutions enables students to obtain experience of professional work and performance in a wide variety of ways.

2. Who is the course aimed at?
The course is as a rule aimed at people who already possess a Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent qualification in Composition. Every applicant must be able to present a variety of compositions (instrumental and/or electronic) and as a rule also put forward ideas for projects. Further information can be found on the page "Application/Admission Examination".

3. Career outlook
The Institute for New Music attempts to provide its students with the broadest possible training, so that graduates are guaranteed to be extremely flexible and have the opportunity to follow a variety of professional directions (freelance, teaching, applied music, improvisation, research etc.).