The three music institutions of the city of Darmstadt – IMD, Jazzinstitut and Akademie für Tonkunst – launch with the beginning of 2010 a new series for lectures, talks and discussions called „Darmstadt Music Talks“. This new cooperation will inform the interested public of Darmstadt about the key aspects of each institute’s acitivities.

Four lectures are planned for 2010.

Darmstadt Music Talks:

(german version)

Annual plan.pdf

The IMD starts the series on 17 February with a lecture of the Berlin musicologist Michael Custodis about the legendary founder of the Darmstadt Summer Course for New Music, Wolfgang Steinecke who would have celebrated his 100th birthday in 2010. The title of Mr. Custodis’ lecture is „Wolfgang Steinecke – Mentor of Music Modernism“ where Steinecke will be sketched as a politician for culture as well as an influential festival maker. Mr. Custodis is currently working on an exhibition about Wolfgang Steinecke that is planned to be shown within the 45th International Summer Course Darmstadt later this year in July.
On 15 April the Berlin historian Rüdiger Ritter will report about the social and politic role of Jazz in Poland and East Europe. His lecture will be part of an event that includes an exhibition of the Jazzinstitut about the polish festival „Jazz nad Odra“ in Wrocław and a JazzTalk concert with Adam Pieronczyk, one of the most important jazz musicians in Poland nowadays. The leader of the Akademie für Tonkunst, Cord Meijering, will continue the „Darmstadt Music Talks“ in October with a lecture titled „Kids and teenager compose“. Wolfram Knauer, director of the Jazzinstitut, and Steffen Schulz will conclude the „Darmstadt Music Talks“ in 2010 with a double portrait of Louis Armstrong.
The lectures at the Literaturhaus (Kasinostraße 3) begin at 8pm, the entrance is free.

The project will be presented by the Head of the Department of Arts and Cultures, Lord Mayor Walter Hoffmann, on 2 February.

17 February 2010 | 8pm
Literaturhaus Darmstadt | Lecture Hall
Michael Custodis (Berlin): „Wolfgang Steinecke – Mentor of Music Modernism“