The University of Music Franz Liszt Weimar is closing its Institute of Early Music despite vigorous protest, including a 31,000-signature petition.
Beginning in 2026, the institute's early music majors will gradually be converted into minor subjects, with the university increasing focus on pedagogy, teacher training, and cultural management. University President Anne-Kathrin Lindig also wants to establish a new music therapy course.
Lack of funds and the declining number of applicants were cited as the reason for the institute's closure, although students contend that data does not support either claim. On the petition webpage Rettet das Institut für Alte Musik an der Hochschule für Musik in Weimar!, it is claimed that "the number of applicants in early music has always been exposed to greater volatility." Furthermore, "the decline during the pandemic and due to illness-related absences of lecturers is described as temporary and understandable," and "the current applicant situation shows a trend reversal with demand expected to increase again."
The institute's supporters have also criticized the lack of transparency about its closure: "Despite repeated inquiries, the university management keeps the decision-making processes under wraps and refuses to comment publicly. The affected professors and lecturers also do not comment publicly, perhaps to avoid possible reprisals."
Closely associated with writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and composer Franz Liszt, the University of Weimar and the city at large also have strong connections with early music-besides being a center of European musical culture in the 17th and 18th centuries, the city was also home to Johann Sebastian Bach from 1708 to 1717. Supporters state that the institute is an invaluable champion of the genre, fielding the ensembles, Cantus Thuringia & Capella and Capella Jenensis, and mounting the Bach Biennale.
With historical performance more established than ever, the webpage describes "a withdrawal from the training and preservation of this musical direction" as "short-sighted and irresponsible."
