Jubilee years represent wonderful opportunities to engage more deeply with artists’ oeuvres, discovering new aspects along the way. And in this spirit, Anton Bruckner’s 200th birthday and Arnold Schönberg’s 150th can serve us as eminently good reasons to devote our first mdw Magazine issue of 2024 to these two outstanding artists. We shed light here on how both were not only versatile composers but also teachers of particular dedication, and we highlight various events and cooperative initiatives that have been organised to celebrate their respective jubilees. Moreover, we introduce the new Schönberg music mediation award LEARN TO HEAR, initiated by the Arnold Schönberg Center and conceived in cooperation with the mdw’s Department of Music Education Research and Practice.
This issue also highlights the renaming of the erstwhile Joseph Hellmesberger Department as the Alma Rosé Department of String Instruments, Guitar, and Harp in Music Education, providing insights as to just why this violinist was chosen as the first woman to be the namesake of an mdw department. We go on to celebrate 10 years of the mdw’s Audio-Video Center with a look back to its establishment along with a survey of digital developments since then. And likewise worthy of celebration is this summer semester’s launch of our new Music Therapy master’s degree programme, which we introduce here.
It’s with particular pleasure, finally, that we can announce the mdw’s receipt of two outstanding awards: a Student Academy Award in gold for Mark Gerstorfer and his film Invisible Border as well as an Erasmus+ Award for our 30 years of successful participation in an EU programme that affords mdw students valuable experiences abroad.
Wishing you the very best and an interesting read!
