News

Following on from the BioSphere & TechnoSphere 1 conference (Salzburg 2025), the year's conferences aims to place a particular emphasis on issues relating to emotion and the history of emotions. In interdisciplinary research on emotions, emotion and affect are sometimes strictly distinguished conceptually: emotions are understood as cognitive-intentional, communicative, socially shaped and thus historically changeable practices. By contrast, affects are understood as pre-conscious, bodily and instinctive reactions.

From 13 July to 8 August 2026, the International Summer Academy at Mozarteum University will once again welcome around 500 young musical talents from across the globe to Salzburg. A special highlight is the masterclass with Silvana Bazzoni Bartoli – the only voice teacher Cecilia Bartoli has ever had. Members of the public are warmly invited to attend the classes as guest listeners.

Vienna (OTS)* – Austria's nine public and private music universities and conservatoires have reacted with disbelief and concern to the announced budget cuts, the questioning of existing funding models, and recent developments surrounding the higher education strategy. They warn that these measures put at risk the future of Austria as a nation of arts and culture.

The winners of the 2024/2025 Outstanding Master’s Thesis Awards are Leonie Caterina Trips, Linda Elisabeth Nicolussi and Leo Feichtinger – our warmest congratulations!

The Theodor Körner Fund was established in 1953 by the Vienna Chamber of Labour to mark the 80th birthday of Austria’s then Federal President, Theodor Körner. Since its founding, the Fund has supported outstanding achievements across a wide range of disciplines. The awards are presented annually at a ceremony held at the Vienna Chamber of Labour’s Education Centre and are traditionally conferred by the Chair of the Board of Trustees together with the President of Austria.

Elisabeth Gutjahr, former president of the Mozarteum University, was awarded the State Medal of Honor for her work as a driving force for culture and scholarship in Salzburg. She was the first female president of the Mozarteum University, which she led from April 2018 to March 2026. We extend our warmest congratulations!

How can Mozarteum University become a “living room for Salzburg”? In her first article for the Salzburger Nachrichten university news section (published on 6 June 2026), Rector Constanze Wimmer reflects on the university as an open space for encounter, exchange, and cultural participation. Read on to discover why art is more than mere consumption, what role “third places” play in our democracy, and how the Mozarteum aims to bring people together in conversation.

Mozarteum University's support programme for young music-lovers will be running again in autumn 2026. Registrations are open until 10th July.

Amélie Niermeyer Professor at the Mozarteum University and long-time director of the Thomas Bernhard Institute, will take up the position of President of the Bayerische Theaterakademie August Everding in Munich on 1 October 2026. In her new role, the internationally renowned director will lead the largest educational institution for theatre professions in the German-speaking world. We extend our heartfelt congratulations!

Two projects from Mozarteum University Salzburg have been included in the “Atlas of Good Teaching”, a nationwide platform showcasing innovative teaching initiatives at Austrian universities. The Pre-College ensemble project Bella Musica and the university teaching initiative LAUT:SPRECHER demonstrate how artistic excellence, academic reflection and social responsibility can be combined in higher education in the arts. Both projects provide inspiring examples of participatory, future-oriented teaching practice.