For three decades, the mandolin department at the Wuppertal campus of the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln has been the place for artistic and pedagogic mandolin education.
The Wuppertal campus of the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln currently chairs the only degree program for mandolin in Europe. For decades, the mandolin program has set benchmarks in student career development, and it is internationally regarded in the mandolin world as the center for acquiring skills. Highly skilled instructors bestow students from all programs with artistic skills and specialized knowledge of didactic and musicology, which ensures that students receive a thorough education.
The mandolin program may be expanded by adding the soprano lute/baroque mandolin programs. The combination of these instruments affords students a wealth of opportunities for achieving their artistic goals. Course work is supplemented by weekly recitals and chamber music events. Numerous concert performances at the University and elsewhere as well as the possibility of participating in competitions round out the music program and offer students an opportunity to gain varied artistic experience. The possibility of participating in coaching sessions for the guitar/lute contributes to the analysis and performance of new music pieces.
The application takes place online via the muvac platform. You can find all the information about the procedure on our Application page.
The entrance examination consists of the following two parts:
Detailed information can be found in the Entrance Examination Regulations, particularly in section 5: Content Requirements and Examination Format.
The degree program is divided into a basic program (first and second year) comprising a large number of obligatory modules and an advanced program (third and fourth year) which consists of different courses for different specializations.
The degree map comprises 7 main modules:
One highlight of the program is the collaboration with the “Cappella dei Leutini” ensemble. This unique ensemble, which plays on historical instruments from the lute family, skillfully brings to life the diverse music from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Students, graduates, and instructors from the Wuppertal campus of the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln create music with soprano lutes, tenor lutes, baroque guitars, vihuelas, and viola da gambas.
Didactic skills are taught in a practical setting. Collaboration with music institutions, i.e., internships, work with amateurs at seminars and workshops, and collaboration with string orchestras, creates work opportunities that reinforce the educational program and create future career contacts.
Musicology expertise increases access to this instrument which, in many respects, has been the subject of relatively little research. Teaching approaches that facilitate access to unknown literature and sources and the use of new media is also an important component of the program.
The University’s high educational standards ensure that both traditional and modern-day skills required for various artistic and pedagogical careers are attained in a practice-based manner within the bachelor/master system.