The Peter Cornelius Conservatory (''Peter-Cornelius-Konservatorium der Stadt Mainz'', PCK) is the conservatory in

Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...

, the capital of the German state

Rhineland-Palatinate Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...

. It dates back to a first conservatory founded around 1882. It is named after the composer

Peter Cornelius Carl August Peter Cornelius (24 December 1824 – 26 October 1874) was a German composer, writer about music, poet and translator. Life He was born in Mainz to Carl Joseph Gerhard (1793–1843) and Friederike (1789–1867) Cornelius, actors in ...

who was born in Mainz. It trains both professionals and amateurs, focused of the interplay of both aspects of music-making.

History

The first conservatory in Mainz was established around 1882 and was named after its founder: ''Paul Schumacher'sches Conservatorium der Musik''. The city of Mainz bought the institution and its buildings in 1920, intending to create a municipal university of music (''Musikhochschule''). The first director was

Hans Rosbaud Hans Rosbaud (22 July 1895 – 29 December 1962) was an Austrian conductor, particularly associated with the music of the twentieth century. Biography Rosbaud was born in Graz. As children, he and his brother Paul Rosbaud performed with thei ...

. In 1922, the institution was granted the right to educate and examine music teachers. In 1936, the

Musikhochschule Frankfurt The Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts (, HfMDK) is a state Hochschule for music, theatre and dance in Frankfurt and is the only one of its kind in the Federal State of Hesse. It was founded in 1938. At present around 900 student ...

was declared the only ''Musikhochschule'' of the region. The Mainz institution was named ''Peter-Cornelius-Konservatorium''. From 1953,

Günter Kehr Günter Kehr (16 March 1920 – 22 September 1989) was a German violinist, conductor and academic teacher of violin and chamber music. He founded the Kehr Trio, a string trio, and the Mainzer Kammerorchester, a chamber orchestra, and toured inte ...

was the director of the conservatory, from 1966 Volker Hoffmann who expanded elementary music training and also focused on the training of professionals. Gerhard Scholz was director from 1998. A new building was opened in 2008, celebrating 125 years of tradition.

Program

The ''Musikschule'' (music school) is the largest in the state, with 140 examined teachers training around 3,500 students from age three months to 80. All instruments of a classical orchestras and voice are taught. The students can meet and perform together in several ensembles and choirs. They also perform at ''Klassenvorspiel'' (class recital), concerts and a competition. The ''Studienabteilung'' educates music teachers, in close cooperation with the

Hochschule für Musik Mainz The Hochschule für Musik Mainz (HfMM, Mainz School of Music) is a university of music, part of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz. It is the only such institution in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. History The institution was ...

. The pedagogical programs are held by the conservatory. The ''Junges Ensemble'' (young ensemble) is an offer to young singers to perform on the stages of the

Staatstheater Mainz The Staatstheater Mainz (Mainz State Theatre) is a theatre in Mainz, Germany, which is owned and operated by the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Situated on the Gutenbergplatz, the complex comprises two theatres which are connected by an undergrou ...

, in collaboration with the theatre and the university.

Directors

Some of the conservatory directors have become known internationally: * 1920–1929

* 1929–1933

Hans Gál Hans Gál Officer of the Order of the British Empire, OBE (5 August 1890 – 3 October 1987) was an Austrian composer, pedagogue, musicologist, and author, who emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1938. Life Gál was born to a Jewish family in ...

* Lothar Windsperger * 1953–1961

* 1961–1964 * 1966– Volker Hoffmann * Wolfgang Schmidt-Köngernheim * from 1998 Gerhard Scholz

Students

Volker David Kirchner Volker David Kirchner (25 June 1942 – 4 February 2020) was a German composer and violist. After studies of violin and composition at the Peter Cornelius Conservatory, the Hochschule für Musik Köln and the Hochschule für Musik Detmold, he ...

(1942–2020), violist and composer

References

External links

*
Peter-Cornelius-Konseratorium, PCK MAINZ
grebner-ingenieure.de {{DEFAULTSORT:Peter Cornelius Conservator Music schools in Germany 1882 establishments in Germany Peter Cornelius