The Internationale Musikakademie für Solisten (International Academy for Soloists, IMAS) is a music school located in Hanover with master classes for highly talented young soloists who are aiming for an international career. It is one of the leading training centres for soloists in Germany .[1] The offered courses change annually in the fields of piano, violin, singing, violoncello, French horn and Chamber music.[2] [3] [4]
Professors of the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover and other experienced musicians teach the students at .[5] So far, IMAS has supported more than 1000 highly talented students from 35 nations (as of January 2014).[2]
The nine-day individual courses begin in autumn and end with a final concert in the castle's ballroom.[2] In order to keep the costs of participation low, the students live with citizens of Bückeburg during the course. The board of directors of the Trägerverein consists of Ulrike Fontaine (chairwoman), Peter Christoph Loewe (deputy chairman), Ines Gräfin von der Schulenburg (finances), Bernd Goetzke (artistic director) and Alexander, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe (honorary chairman).[6] A seven-member board of trustees assists the board of directors. The pianist Boris Kuznetsov is responsible for project management.[5]
The non-profit association, "Internationale Musikakademie für Solisten",[7] was founded in 1978 by Reimar Dahlgrün, professor emeritus of the University of Music in Hannover, together with colleagues. During the first ten years, teaching was held in the Herzog August Bibliothek in Wolfenbüttel. In 1986 Alexander Fürst zu Schaumburg-Lippe brought the academy into the Schloss Bückeburg.[8] In 1982, Gotthard Kronstein took over as managing director.[9]
Karl-Heinz Kämmerling was responsible for the overall artistic direction for about three decades. At the end of 2010 Bernd Goetzke became his successor.[10]
Source, if not stated otherwise:[11]
Piano
Violin
Violoncello
French Horn
Bassoon
Singing
Source, if not stated otherwise:[14]
Piano
Violin
Violoncello
Singing