Music Of The Future

My name is Susanne Fröhlich, I am a recorder player and, in addition to early music, I devote myself mainly to contemporary music, as well as improvisation and new concert formats. For me, the recorder has always been an instrument that offers endless possibilities for sound manipulation and great potential for discovery. Already my first music teacher introduced me to the recorder as a multifaceted and versatile instrument and always showed great interest in new music. So, it was natural for me not only to play early music on the recorder, but also to work with the sounds and music of our time. During my studies at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK) and the Akademie für Tonkunst in Darmstadt, I learned to always get the best out of my instruments and to find solutions through extended playing techniques, the choice of a particular recorder model or its preparation. This was incredibly exciting and inspiring work, which I was eventually able to expand and perfect even further within my artistic-scientific research project on "The new potential of a recorder in the 21st century" at the University of Art in Graz.

Thanks to my former professor Gerd Lünenbürger, I have been teaching recorder at the UdK Berlin since October 2010. From the beginning, it was a great concern of mine to pass on both Gerd's commitment to New Music and my enthusiasm for this music to the students full of verve and enthusiasm. However, it soon became clear to me that I could not manage this task alone. Together with Prof. Christoph Huntgeburth, we have initiated a new teaching programme within our institute at the UdK Berlin, in which students receive instruction at the highest level from two main subject lecturers, both specialists in their field. The original contemporary repertoire for recorder has been growing steadily since the 1960s and is now many times larger than the original repertoire of early music. In addition, there are more and more contemporary recorder models that bring with them new potential or new playing techniques and styles. Therefore, I saw it as a necessity to concentrate completely on the specialisation of New Music at the UdK Berlin, to be able to offer our students a diverse range of courses and to enable them to explore new paths within their artistic development.

My teaching focus is on the interpretation of contemporary music with the aim of teaching contemporary playing techniques (especially on contemporary recorder models), dealing with notation and interpretation of contemporary music, as well as understanding aesthetic concepts intrinsic to the repertoire. The training here is not limited to the rehearsal of central solo and chamber music works. Through the comprehensive range of programmes offered by the various institutions (including cooperation with the Institute for New Music "klangzeitort"), students are given the opportunity to independently realise artistic concepts, which can include their own improvisations, collaboration with composition students, lighting design and stage design as well as dialogue with other art forms. Furthermore, the development of one's own personality or stage presence and artistic expressiveness is in the foreground. Studying with me aims to train students to be strong and innovative musicians with an individual profile who meet the high professional standards of today's musical life.

If you are interested in the studies or wish to attend classes please get in touch with me via email: susannefroehlich1979_ @gmail.com

Website Susanne Fröhlich

Blog Susanne Fröhlich

The new potential of a 21st century recorder Doktorarbeit

Appendix zur Doktorarbeit