Olga Shparaga, philosopher, activist, and author (The Face of the Revolution is Female: The Case of Belarus) speaking at the mdw on the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10 Dec. 2021.

The ongoing cooperative activities involving the Fritz Kreisler Department of String Instruments, Harp and Guitar (FKI) and the Leonard Bernstein Department of Wind and Percussion Instruments (LBI) are now advancing to an entirely new level.

In our series “What does art have to do with the Earth’s climate?” the “Green mdw” initiative invites concerned individuals to speak out on their personal approaches to this issue. Gerda Müller has led the mdw’s Department of Human Resources since 2000 and was appointed Vice Rector for Organisational Development, Gender, & Diversity in 2015.

It was at the Vienna Central Cemetery that Franz (Albert) Doppler, born in Lemberg (present-day Lviv, Ukraine) on 16 October 1821 as the son of a military musician, was laid to rest following a long and active career. Not long ago, on 16 October 2021, Doppler’s gravesite witnessed a small celebration with prominent participants to mark his 200th birthday.

Last year’s Beethoven Competition saw the 27-year-old German pianist Aris Alexander Blettenberg awarded the first prize. Blettenberg swayed the jury with his performance of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 in C Major op. 15, prevailing over Dasol Kim and Philipp Scheucher at the final round on 21 October 2021 in the Vienna Musikverein’s Golden Hall.

The first table in the following shows reported COVID-19 cases at the mdw between September 2020 and September 2021. These case figures correspond to the prevailing trends observed in Austria over the same period. Also included is an overview of the Austria-wide lockdowns and the lockdown in Eastern Austria as well as the numerous measures additionally imposed by the mdw.

To me, sustainability means… thinking of the Earth not as a resource, but as a living environment—and hence both consuming and living our lives in a way that puts not humankind, but the ecological order of things first.