Zurich University of the Arts

Master of Arts in Music Performance / Specialized Music Performance in Classical Music

Students of the master's programmes in classical music at the Zurich University of the Arts are part of an international community.

There are two separate Master of Arts in Music Performance programmes aiming at different fields of study:

• The Master in Music Performance offers a broad profile in instrumental and vocal concert performance.
• The Master in Specialized Music Performance offers three specializations: solo performance, orchestral performance, including orchestral piano, and chamber music, including collaborative piano.

Both programmes offer personal counseling; individual portfolio development, flexible curricula, top-notch faculty; 150+ elective courses; career center; performance opportunities; state-of-the-art infrastructure; leading partners; internships and more…

The Master of Arts in Music Performance - Concert is in musical terms a broad-based course of study. The repertoire ranges from early to contemporary music, and students perform both in small ensembles (chamber to improvisation ensembles) as well as in the institution's orchestral formations or vocal ensembles. Apart from further developing their instrumental ability and interpretational skills, the programme gives students opportunity to professionalize their organizational and communications competence. The acquisition of academic skills in dealing with musical questions as well as performance practice issues completes the picture. The overall aim is to address a wide range of artistic fields as future professions and/or prepare graduates for subsequent study in specialized programmes.

The Master of Arts in Specialized Music Performance - Soloist serves as a springboard for a career as an instrumental or vocal soloist. The programme places considerable emphasis on developing a mature artistic personality coupled with outstanding charisma and stage presence. Graduates obtain excellent technical and interpretational abilities through working with internationally renowned faculty and are supported in developing a unique profile within their individual portfolios. The programme caters for unusually gifted students with a particularly strong work ethic and a very high artistic level.

The Master of Arts in Specialized Music Performance-Orchestra prepares for a successful career in a symphony- and opera-orchestras. Securing access to the profession demands exceptional abilities in terms of technical and interpretational skills. As well as working in-depth with their instrument, students further develop their organizational and communication skills. The essence of the programme is working together with several experts in the field on relevant subjects such as orchestral excerpts and related instruments. In addition to performing with the orchestral formations at the ZHdK, students spend a voluntary period with a professional orchestra in Zurich (Philharmonia Zurich or Tonhalle Orchester Zürich).

The Master of Arts in Specialized Music Performance - Chamber Music offers four possibilities of study, from the collaborative piano and Lied accompaniment to set chamber music ensembles such as piano trios and string quartets and lied-duos. The programme enables students to gain a foothold in their subsequent professional lives and be competitive internationally. The professional chamber music scene demands a great deal from future professional musicians and requires high levels of technical, musical and social skills. In addition to in-depth work as part of an ensemble or as an accompanist, the programme is centered on developing a mature artistic personality. This chamber music programme requires students to have an outstanding level of proficiency and an ability to gain analytical insights into musical works and put these to good use in terms of interpretation.