“Psst, psst, psst, psst” echoes enticingly throughout the gilded hall of the Schönbrunner Schlosstheater. White shrouds hanging above the stage allude to the moon, which lights what has just been rehearsed. Such were the scenes that one could observe in February’s rehearsals for the mdw opera production Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor, which premières this March.

It’s 6:30 p.m. on a Tuesday. Students from various programmes are welcomed to the mdw’s Clara Schumann-Saal by Miriam Steinkühler-Fuchsberger, a member of the ipop – Department of Popular Music faculty. Her mission today, like on many Tuesdays past: to unleash students’ passion for singing together despite any tiredness after their day’s work at the University. mdw Magazine sat in on one of their rehearsals.

Be it remote learning, hybrid instruction, live streaming, the recording of in connection with artistic diploma exams, or live sound at concerts: over the past ten years, the mdw’s Audio-Video Center (or AV Center for short) has become an essential part of our institution’s everyday life.

Since October of last year, a new leading team has been at the helm of the Leonard Bernstein Department of Wind and Percussion Instruments. Michael Pircher, Michaela Reingruber, and Martin Mühlfellner speak about ongoing projects, the style of teamwork they’ve developed, and the goals they’ve set themselves for the coming four years.