MA Music Performance | Instrument / Voice

Basel Academy of Music

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Institut Klassik | The degree programme offers a sound artistic education for anyone who wants to pursue music as a form of expression and a vocation. The focus is on personal development and making music at the highest level.

Opera project “The Cunning Little Vixen” by Leoš Janáček

Factsheet

Degree: Master of Arts FHNW in Musikalischer Performance, Studienrichtung instrumental/vokal
Study mode: Full-time
Learning mode: Onsite
ECTS credits: 120
Duration: 4 semesters
Stay abroad: Possible
Application fee: 200 CHF
Semester fee: 750 CHF (CH) | 1000 CHF (EU/EFTA) | 1250 CHF (Not-EU/Not-EFTA)

At a glance

Individual support: Main subject tuition with internationally renowned lecturers‍
‍Diverse stage practice: Numerous concerts on the university campus and in a wide variety of concert formats in the city of Basel – various musical constellations and contexts are complemented and enriched by projects and collaborations with professional partners from the region‍
‍Internationally networked: Guest lecturers open up new perspectives‍
‍Practical and reflective: Artistic work is practised here as a lively reflection of content and techniques, and lively exchange within the university community is specifically encouraged

Why study this?

The FHNW Master of Arts in Musical Performance programme specifically prepares students for artistic careers in a wide variety of areas within the classical music industry. The focus is on developing personalities who, with their instrumental/vocal skills and artistic expressiveness, are not only able to compete internationally, but are also capable of helping to shape the music industry/market of the future.
Minors can broaden horizons and open doors as additional qualifications.

Graduates of the Master of Arts FHNW in Music Performance find employment on stage as soloists, chamber musicians or orchestral musicians. The professional field of musicians will often be a combination of the above-mentioned activities, depending on additional qualifications, also in connection with instrumental/vocal lessons or music teaching tasks.

This study course is aimed at highly gifted instrumentalists/vocalists who already hold a Bachelor degree.

What orchestra, choir and large projects exist at the Basel Academy of Music?

Orchestra

Chamber Academy

Chamber choir

Large Choir

Final concerts

Structure and programme contents

The internationally oriented two-year degree programme focuses on the practical examination of interpretational and instrumental/vocal issues. Students deepen their knowledge and skills from the bachelor's programme with a view to concert work and the ability to find their own ways of interpretation and convincingly implement these on the concert platform. They are accompanied by experienced lecturers.
The main subject lessons are the most important part of the programme in terms of quality and the necessary preparation and follow-up time. Chamber music, ensemble and orchestral playing as well as a reflective level (theory/analysis) form another important part of the programme.

Minors

In addition to the elective subjects, optional minors allow students to focus on their own personal specialisations.

Minors of Institut Klassik

Additional qualifications for students of the Master's programmes Music Pedagogy and Musical Performance

Modules and Reglements

The BA and MA degree programmes at the Basel Academy of Music are based on modules.

The legally binding structure provides an initial guide to the content and weighting of the subjects on the degree programme.
The detailed content and modalities of the individual subjects can be found in the module descriptions.
The study regulations come into force together with the study and examination regulations of the Basel Academy of Music FHNW and form the legal framework.

Structures

Minors

Module descriptions

Study Regulations

Lecturers

Institut Klassik

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All Lecturers

Visiting Professors and Master classes

More details

Requirements, admission, entrance exam

Prospective students should have a sufficiently advanced manual/technical mastery of the instrument/voice that no longer requires them to work on acquiring practical and theoretical foundations, thereby enabling them to concentrate fully on the artistic, stylistic and performance-related aspects of playing music.
Prospective students should have a sufficiently firm grasp of the different styles within the basic repertoire that they are able to concentrate on consolidating and expanding their knowledge of instrumental/vocal styles in order to achieve the standard necessary for a professional qualification and for professional performance.
Prospective students must demonstrate a strong desire to express themselves musically and to develop and actively pursue their own performance-related ideas. They must also be able to convincingly inform and communicate through the medium of music.

Students are expected to have a high degree of autonomy and self-awareness (healthy self-esteem), and to be broadly familiar with certain areas beyond their particular specialisation that could be beneficial to their career as a professional musician.

In order to enter the FHNW Master of Arts in Musical Performance programme with an instrumental or vocal major, applicants must be awarded a Bachelor in Music/Music and Movement or equivalent as well as they must have passed the entrance exam and were offered a free place at the Academy (limited places). Applicants who have submitted all the necessary registration documents in time and have passed the first round of the entrance exam will be invited to play a live audition.
For further information on the admission criteria, please see the Study regulations of the Master of Arts FHNW in Music Performance.

Internal Bachelor candidates absolve the entrance exam within their Bachelor qualification which they need to graduate with at least the grade 5.5. Further requirements are:

Having passed the Master preparation course
The jury must unanimously recommend that the student continues in the Master study course
The consent of the Major professor

We recommend having sufficient German language skills.

General Registration Procedure All about Studying in Basel